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.

The Hangover by Ashim

I Suggest – First Day First Show ****


A couple of girls standing in front of me asked the guy at the ticket counter “What time does the hangover get over?” I quipped - “That’ll dependo on how much you’ve have had to drink”. To be honest this hangover doesn’t really get over! It lingers on for days. It’s a movie that you have to and have to tell your friends about. Though it is not a movie which your mom would approve of but it still is a laugh riot.

A bachelor’s party gone awry may not be the most original premise for a Hollywood film but with a clever script, non-stop side-splitting situations and raunchy humor, the movie comes out as one of the wittiest and craziest Hollywood flicks in a long- long time. It is a film to be enjoyed with a group of buddies who don’t mind grossly funny gags like humping a tiger, shagging a baby and breast feeding.

“What Happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!!! Except Herpes! That shit will stay with you forever!” …. In this film, all sorts of crazy things happen the morning-after the bachelor’s party in Vegas. There’s a roaring tiger (belonging to Mike Tyson) in the bathroom, a weeping baby in a closet and a chicken on the loose in a luxury suite in Vegas. After the blackout, someone is married to a hooker and someone has a pierced belly button. Somebody has a broken tooth and somebody discovers that he was in the hospital last night. The movie is about these 3 guys who are baffled by such discoveries and collecting cues to find their friend who’s gone missing a day before he is to wed.

The Hangover does not have an Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell to rely on to pull in the crowds. Nevertheless, it has some real fine actors. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis give extremely natural and relatable performances. There chemistry is matchless. None of the actors overshadows the other and this goes in favor of the film.

Zach Galifianakis (Alan, the nerd kind) steals the show! A. People haven’t seen much of him. B. His character is brought in as a stranger in the group of friends, being the brother of the bride. So at the onset, the audience doesn’t quite know what he is going to come up with ahead in the movie. He is absurdly weird, soft-spoken and sensitive too. The gambling sequence where he spoofs Tom Cruise from the movie Rain Man is one of the stand out scenes. The arrival to the Ceasar’s palace hotel is another hilarious dig where he sincerely asks the clerk at the reception: "Is this the real Caesars Palace? Did he Caesar actually live here?"

The Asian Gangster is another character which is remarkable. Mr. Chow laughs on everything that Allan (the fat guy) does. So basically what turns out to be funny is- one funny guy laughing in a funny manner on the other funny guy.

Another great strength of the movie is the way in which the story is told; it’s fast paced and keeps you guessing. Sometimes it thrills you. Suspense induces curiosity. The viewers are equally confused like the characters in the film and this actually makes the film funnier. Check out the puzzled (also amusing) look on the faces of the three guys when the valet brings out a police car under the hotel porch in place of their Mercedes. The humor in the movie mostly comes out of shocks and astonishments.

For me, this hangover is going to stay for quite a time! It’s one for the ages!

99 by Nikhil

Link: www.99thefilm.com

Verdict: Part boredom(70%), part fun(30%).

Yawn!: Well, after a long break, i was eagerly looking forward to returning back to the cinemas, and I felt that probably this time around the movie is going to have it easy; that no matter how bad the film might be, the long, mean break would ensure I end up enjoying the film… But it was not meant to be.

I saw the movie a little late, and by then, had heard some positive talk about it, from a couple of (now labelled ‘unreliable’) sources, one of whom is my fellow critic :). My fuelled expectations actually contributed to the increased disappointment with the film.

The directors have tried to pull out something on the lines of ‘Khosla ka Ghosla’, using a real-life premise, that of betting in cricket, to put together a story. Of that of an incorrigible gambler (Boman) losing out on money over cricket betting with two small time crooks (Kunal and Cyrus) out to recover money from him, and the comic situations that ensue from there on. The story thought interestingly thought out, is marred by the amateurish talent of the directors and their team. For a start, the movie is too slow for its plot. And the laughs are scarce and too spaced out. The moments in between are way too many and filled with such inconsequential details such that one is left looking around in the theatre what to do! At certain places, it feels as if the team forgot to put in a background score, especially in the first half. The women in the movie, both Soha and Simon are wasted, primarily because their characters are of no consequence to the plot. Many situations, between Soha and Kunal, and Simon and Boman, seem unnecessarily concocted to add the essential "emotional" quotient to an Indian film. The songs add to the irritation as well, and the revelation at the end is more or less expected. It could have been a far better movie, had the directors tried to build a tighter plot or/and had more funny moments to include. With both Delhi and Mumbai as part of the plot, they definitely had a chance to do the latter, which they partly lost out on. Hoping for something better the next time around.

Cool!: Certain moments and characters in the film definitely stand out. The mobile phone, a relatively new entity at the time period in which the movie is based, has been intelligently used for humour. Few of the conversations and situations are very funny; I personally found the antics of ‘Khuber’, the Delhi based criminal, the funniest. Boman Irani is appreciable for his effort, and the subtle nuances added to his character of a compulsive gambler, are insightful. Vinod Khanna as the bookie does well as well. Nevertheless, the movie though surely to be appreciated for such elements, aint worth being called ‘paisa-wasool’.

'99' by Ashim

Rating ***1/2



It has been about 5-6 Fridays! I was missing my nachos and cheese salsa. I was missing the aroma of popcorn, the hustle bustle of a movie hall and that enclosure of the air-conditioned dark auditorium! 99 released this Friday and being an avid movie buff, I was dying to hit the theatres and have a blast for 2 and half hours. Guess what? It was certainly worth my wait!!

‘99’ takes you down the memory lane to the Y2K era (around 1999). Mobile phones were a new concept and gaining popularity in India along with the internet cafes. It was the time around which the notorious bookies were betting in full throttle. Hansie Cronje, Nicky Boje, Herschelle Gibbs and our very own Mohd. Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja were in news for match fixing.

With good performers and an interesting storyline on screen, you expect nothing but a qualitative product and ‘99’ is definitely one! The directors of 99 know how to package an interesting story with top-notch performances and entertaining moments with aplomb.

For me the best feature of the film is the look and the treatment of the film. It looks chic and stylish right from the innovative casting to the last half an hour which has several interesting twists. The journey from scene A to Z is well structured. The writing is intelligent with ordinary, real life characters and direction is gripping. The plot is not slapstick! It rather has a light hearted, spicy and tongue-in-cheek kind of mood. It ensures you feel good moving out of the theatre. Apart from these pluses, a major highlight has to be the performances in the film.

Boman Irani plays an interesting character of a compulsive gambler who has a lot of fundas on luck and stakes almost everything he has if he believes it’s going to be his day. He stands out and was 100 on 100 for me in 99. Amit Mistry as Delhi recovery agent with his giant chamcha ‘Dimple’ were simply side-splitting together. Other commendable performances were that of Mahesh Manjrekar as the bookie and Vinod Khanna as the billionaire gambler.

Kunal Khemu is a really good actor and gets better and more confident with every movie. The role was perfectly suited for him and he does justice to it at the same time. Cyrus Broacha as his friend/partner as expected, was damn funny with very witty dialogues though he would want to work upon his acting skills and Hindi pronunciation. Soha too is evolving into a fine actress but gets sidelined in this plot. Gorgeous Simone Singh does look beautiful but got less scope to perform.
Romance and songs do not have a lot of scope in the story and director thankfully is intelligent enough to understand that! The background score is peppy though inspired somewhat from Pulp Fiction sound track. The dialogues are well penned too.

Treat this film as an entertainer and sit through it without taxing your brains. You'd enjoy the film! On the whole, ‘99’ works in two ways. It'll appeal to those who enjoy light entertainers and also those who like some thrill in the story line. With no opposition and being the only biggish release after a long break, the film should have a blissful ride at the ticket window as well. You should grab your ticket today!

Gulaal by Nikhil

Link: Not Available

Verdict: Brilliant.. Exceptional.

Cool!: From DevD, Anurag kashyap moves on to Gulaal, and I’m impressed, even more. For an industry stuck with conventions like happy endings, big stars, plots that ‘makes sense’ (stories that move from a ‘start’ to an ‘end’, the biggest convention of all, everywhere), characters that ‘make sense’ (delineated, justified); to music that needs to be ‘universally pleasant’; it takes guts to make a movie like this. Anurag plunges into the Rajputana world of politics, pride, manipulations, bloodshed and evil, and takes us with him; creating a world that probably many of us cannot associate to, but the depiction in itself is so authentic, that you cannot but start feeling for the characters. The story in a way gives away no clear message, just seems like nothing more than a sequence of events; but again, a number of messages do appear, but only if you try to think in those directions. It is left up to the audience to interpret it, and that’s the beauty of this film as per me. It gets your brain to work, to take sides, to judge, to decide… there is no help from the director in this regard. A lot of afterthought.
The performances are genuine and fairly neutral, not allowing you to judge them instantly. Using newcomers for most of the roles adds to the same dimension as well. I especially liked the character of Rananjay, the rebellious and brave rajput. As always, Kay Kay is again brilliant. Mahi Gill as the eccentric mistress plays a nice little cameo, so does Piyush Pandey as the crazy brother of Kay Kay. They add the necessary element of humour to the serious plot. The music (and the lyrics), not the regular fare, adds to the authenticity of the plot; it’s amongst the most creative attempts that I can ever remember. Kudos to Piyush Pandey for it.

Anurag Kashyap is changing the way stories are told on the screen, and I’m extremely proud of the way he is doing so. Movies like Gulaal might not becomes blockbusters, but just to see such a cinema, that boldly dares to be so non-formulaic and non-explanatory, is very refreshing and intellectually stimulating. I hope it makes enough money for him to carry on with such efforts.

Yawn!: Somewhere so many stories are overlapped in this complicated plot that it feels as if few of them have not been amply justified. The ones of Jesse Randhawa and Piyush Pandey are such examples. But again, its not mandatory to explain everything, the audience could use some imagination as well. I like that :) .

Gulaal by Ashim

Rating: * * * *


Anurag Kashyap is creating trouble for himself. He has to raise the bar he has set for himself after DevD and now GULAAL. Gulaal wants you to wait for Anurag’s next film! It just makes you pray that he should never disappoint you! So, which one is a better film DevD or Gulaal?? I have been asked this question a couple of times. Gulaal has nothing in common with DevD. They are entirely different from each other.

The film doesn’t have big stars. Script, dialogues and the screenplay have pretty strong shoulders to carry the weight of the film with ease. It is a film about characters that are made so full of action that you really don’t require a huge star cast, item numbers and other entertainment constituents. Gulaal is thought-provoking and engages you till the end.

The script can be mystifying for common watcher. Well, it is apparent that Anurag doesn’t have a usual way of looking at things. He creates cinema that is not for wide audience. It is for intelligent (non-masala) movie goers who appreciate non-clichéd/ niche/ abstract thoughts. It is not radical and unconventional as DevD but still not conventional enough for everybody to decipher the message of the film. The script has 3 different tracks - student politics, separate state for Rajputs, passionate love story with a catastrophic end. It’s cerebral, powerful, intense, provocative and an immensely exciting flick.

Are you still sitting on your lazy asses?? Go watch Gulaal! I am going again....


_____ASHIM_____

Delhi6 by Nikhil

Site: http://www.delhi6.co.in/

Verdict: A cacophony, that could have been a melody.

Yawn!: My opinion of the previous film by Rakeysh Mehra, that is Rang De Basanti, was very different from that of most of the people; I had found the mega-blockbuster to be a fairly stupid film, and Ive consistenly received a lot of flak over this opinion of mine. But I'm happy that Delhi6 has finally got me vindicated. A muddled plot trying to bring forth a zillion issues and emotions, with the clearly delineated 'lighter' first half and a 'heavy' second half, and an absolutely unconvincing depiction of things the way they happen in the normal world; Delhi6 was RDB repeated as per me. The director makes an absolute mess of trying to use a 'kala bander' as a metaphor for the evil inside every human being, focusing so much on its literal counterpart, you at times feel why was the movie not named Kala Bander instead of Delhi6! And the way he tries to explain the metaphor repeatedly at the end (at least three times!), you feel like the dumb student in a moral science class wherein the teacher is repeatedly explaining the moral of a story obviously assuming you didn't register anything while the story was being told! Delhi6 is a director's blunder and I hope Rakeysh Mehra learns from it. His supposedly intellectual creation falls flat on its face primarily because of an attempt to delve into way too many things at the same time: religious sensitivity, caste culture, the fight between good vs evil, personal introspection, love for one's motherland, social equations and so on and so forth... not to forget all alongside the depiction of life in the city of Delhi. And he gets it all wrong in an attempt to amalgamate them. Had he focused on just a few of them, we could probably would have had a nice film to watch.

Yahoo!: Certain elements though, are well depicted in the film, especially ones associated with the life in Delhi. Being from north and having spent a good amount of time in delhi, I did enjoy many moments that were just spot on, such as the incident where the ramlila is awkwardly stopped midway because of the arrival of the city MLA or when the traffic on a busy road comes to a chaotic standstill because of a cow delivering a baby. Some of the characters have been admirably depicted as well. I especially loved the one played by Pawan Malhotra, the over-confident, street-smart and worthless kind, that can literally be found in every street in north India. It is such beautiful elements that make you go through this film, though on the whole it is a pity to see them being part of an effort that focuses away on concepts far more poorly conceived and depicted.

Delhi6 by Ashim

Why the hell does Rakesh have a ‘Y’ in the middle of his name? This numerology jazz is not doing any good to him. There is no doubt that his work in Delhi 6 is of an inferior class. People would go to the theatres with a comparison at the back of their heads. The comparison with RDB!! I have a problem with that! A ‘Rang De Basanti’ is not made every day! It was almost like a flawless film. Delhi6 is not as superior as RDB but this does not mean that the movie is worth zilch.

Delhi 6 is a movie that has social, religious, political and moral significance. It shows that man can turn into a devil in the name of religion. It shows that there is a demon in every one of us, lying dormant. Loath, rage, greed and adversity can awaken this demon. It shows the good n bad, ugly n beautiful and light n dark of our society. It is not a kind of film that we Indians are accustomed to. It is not Masala to please your taste buds but it is soup that is good for your health.

Rakeyyyyyyyysh creates a gorgeous palette with vibrant colours, sounds and characters. The movie is a multifaceted collage of the Old Delhi and its people. It is a movie which has a lot of messages - A mad fakir urges everyone to look in the mirror, there’s a mandir vs masjid message, Masakalli’s freedom message, kala bandar turns out to have a message at the end of the movie.

Camerawork is magical which showcases the terraces, various monuments, gallis and courtyard houses (havelis) of the walled city. Music and lyrics just flow with the film. AR Rahman's remarkable (best) work adds to the pluses of the film. 'Masakalli', 'Rehna Tu', 'Yeh Dilli Hai', 'Maula', 'Genda Phool' are all outstanding numbers. Genda phool and Masakalli are choreographed beautifully. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics perfectly complement the maestro's melodies. Even the background score is scintillating. Dialogues are sharp and sink with the mood of the film. The humour is light and enjoyable.

Abhishek Bachchan's performance as an NRI is natural and likeable. Sonam Kapoor looks charming and is perfect for the role of Bittu. Waheeda Rehman has little to do but looks graceful performs her part beautifully. Each of the others like Vijay Raaz (brilliant as an obnoxious cop), Rishi Kapoor Om Puri, Pawan Malhotra, Divya Dutta deliver commendable performances is impeccable as always.

So what is Delhi 6 basically about?? I am sure that even Rakeyyyyysh can’t answer this question. It has countless different subjects- caste, backwardness, superstition, untouchability, communal issues and the perfidy of priests, cops and lawmakers. Its obscure storyline works against it.

Editing was the biggest loophole in the film. The film is directed very well in parts but scenes just don’t gel together. The tale is not seamless. There is confusion and turmoil, with many stories overlapping. It veers abruptly from light mood to dark and violent tones of Delhi. Vague concept and a bumpy storytelling method are the other two weaknesses of this film. At places the film seems to be meandering. The climax is disappointing! It is utter absurd! The needless Amitabh Bachchan scene was ludicrous.

Nevertheless, Delhi 6 is a brave and ambitious film! The characters from the heart of Dilli are the real heroes of the film and keep you engaged in their lives. I would give Delhi 6 a three on five for Rakeyyyyysh’s courageous and innovative filmmaking, even though it’s not as great as his previous flick! Thanks to lose plot, editing and screenplay.

________ASHIM___________

Dev D by Nikhil

Link: www.devdthefilm.com/

Verdict: Path-breaking.

Cool!: There is only one word to describe this modern-day adaptation of Devdas by Anurag Kashyap. Radical. And it primarily needs to be applauded for breaking the typical stereotypes in Indian Cinema that have bored us for so long. Thus in the movie, we find the so called hero lusting after the heroine with no emotional attachment for most part of the film, the girl herself carrying a bed to the open fields for obvious reasons, a kind of language unheard of before in mainstream cinema and not to forget an absolute absence of an independent villianous character. And the best part is, to find the movie doing well and being appreciated inspite of all being so unconventional. I had seen the film on the first day, and my first reaction was "yeh idhar nahin chalegi". But the response has been phenomenally positive and that has left me pleasantly surprised.
Anurag Kashyap deserves all the adulation for his phenomenal vision, guts to be so experimental and innovative, and last but not the least, for not going the abstract 'No Smoking' way here. Abhay Deol has once again shown he's a far shot from his relatives (the other deols!) in terms of acting as he puts in an exceptional performance for the role, he warrants true appreciation for his role of the mercurial, possesive and egoistic junkie.
The camera work, especially at certain places, is astonishing, so are the graphics and the colours used in the movie. The music is remarkable as well; with hardly many dialogues in the film, its the audio score that tells half the story. I personally loved the huge sountrack, especially the punjabi numbers!

Yawn!: I have this notion that a movie that I truly enjoy leaves me with this strange sense of satisfaction when it's over, and well, in case of DevD though I was overtly impressed, the feeling was somewhere incomplete. And I would blame two portions of the film for it. Firstly, the moment of realization for Abhay at the end is way too sudden and inconsequential to lead towards the shown transformation, it just somewhere seems a very unlikely change for his stubborn character to go through. The second half of the film is way too long and dragged as well. Secondly, the chemistry between Dev and Paro didn't click to me somehow, their contact with each other seemed just too little and physical to justify any kind of prolonged attachment (even infatuation), as per me. My expectations were more, but that doesn't take away the fact that there are still enough positives in the film to appreciate. So go for it, just one warning.. you'll feel like having alcohol half-way through it.

Dev D by Ashim

Devdas’s pain, agony and alcohol is clichéd!!! Devadas indulging in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is the last thing you’d expect but Anurag Kashyap fantasized it and stimulated it with style, substance and attitude! To start with, the perfect word to describe the film is ‘avant-garde ’. It is utterly unconventional! Call it daring or radical!

It defies conventional love and delicate romance. Can you imagine a conventional hero asking his childhood sweetheart over a long distance telephone call, “Paro, do you touch yourself?” Never has the childhood sweetheart photographed herself nude and e-mailed it to her love in London. Never has Dev warned Paro “Kaat loonga,” and neither has Paro retorted “Noch loongi.” Their relationship is not hopelessly emotional but kinkily beautiful.

Though Devdas is a static tale, Kashyap has rendered it in breathtaking manner and made it irresistibly dynamic. Abhay gives a dazzling performance! He is an unconventional hero and so is the movie. Perfect choice for the role I feel. He is a complete natural in playing the arrogant and spoilt Punjabi lad. The two girls perform brilliantly, look charming and have played their parts with confidence in their first film. Music is phenomenal! ‘Emotional atyachar’, ‘nayan tarse’ and ‘pardesi’ are incredible numbers!!! Every song is unique in its own way and together they make the movie a hell of a ride!! The camerawork is top notch, specially the ‘pardesi’ song!

Nothing is perfect and not even this film. At some point, post interval, the movie seems a li’l dragged. The over two and a half hour running time feels far too long than it actually should have been. The thing between Dev and Paro can easily be termed as infatuation and not love. So, you do not connect with Dev emotionally. You don’t feel bad for him. So, those expecting touching romantic moments, should stay away.

Overall, Dev D is a fantabulous experience! It is a cult film and might not appeal to the masses. It is like ‘Ale’ or ‘Old monk rum’. You either can’t stand it or you love it completely! As far as I am concerned, I am still in Trans and don’t even wanna get out of it!!!

Luck By Chance by Ashim

Sorry I am late!!! I am late to watch DevD, which I shall watch this Tuesday and shall post the review by Wednesday. As far as ‘Luck-By Chance’ goes, I think one should just feel ‘lucky’ if you get a ticket of ‘Luck by chance’ because it is surely a ticket to die for!!! What a film! It is a movie you can blindly recommend. It is strong both in style and content, and unlike most films of late, doesn’t slothfully compensate one for the other. Zoya cajoles outstanding performances from every actor in the movie.

Film does not show or reveal the under belly of ‘Bollywood’!! Instead it is behind the scene quirks of our glamorous phillum industry. Being Bollywood buff is enough to make you applaud, laugh and grin. It pictures the good, the bad and the ugly side of the industry and yet keeps your love intact for it. Also it makes you understand and sympathize with the characters in LUCK BY CHANCE.

The protagonists Farhan and Konkona are both top notch!! The movie revolves around them and they do complete justice to their roles. Farhan plays a character of aspirant actor who’s got a burning ambition to be successful. Konkona tries to do whatever it takes, to make it big. The hallmark scene would be when Farhan talks to Konkona when she is grieving over her failure. Hats off to remarkable dialogues by papa Akhtar!! Not only in this particular scene but his dialogues touch your heart. Be it philosophy or extremely witty one-liners.

Other significant scenes are Sourabh Shukla’s ham, Rishi Kapoor breaking down, Farhan charming the gorgeous Dimple Kapadia, Hritik’s in his car (where he is shown to be different from common people), Dimple’s Recalling her yester years, Hritik and K. Jo’s discussion, Farhan’s trick to make the opponent over confident, Shahrukh Khan’s conversation with Farhan and last scene with Konkona which moves you!
The script is slow yet perfect!! The story couldn’t have been told better! Shankar Ehsaan Loy could have surely done better. The best part is that Hritik, Amir, Shahrukh and tons of other stars are not just there for the star value but they lend spice to the film and go in sync with the script!! Just don’t miss this joyride!!

______ASHIM______

Luck By Chance by Nikhil

Link: http://www.excelmovies.com/app/webroot/microsite/lbc/

Verdict: Impressive. Refreshing.

Cool!: Well, the most impressive aspect of this film as per me, is something found with extreme rariety in Indian films, and that's subtlety. Whether its the confident, ambitious character of farhan (you never find him saying "mein aasman ko chuna chahta hun") or the grey shades to his character (you don't find him throwing his mom and dad out of his house). Similarly, whether its the depiction of the extreme competition in the fame-driven stream of films, the eccentric nuances of a creative field, the games played by those on the top in the business, or the frustration of those not being able to make it; it has all been beautifully underplayed. The fact that I personally loved the most was that the film doesn't even have a climax; and why.. because isn't that the way things happen in reality?! There is no sudden change in the background score when we realize the biggest things in our lives, and that's exactly how it has been depicted. With no character shown as out-right good or bad, it becomes far easier to relate to them. All of them have been shown as having varying levels of grey shades, making small, at times subconscious, manipulations to reach out to their desires; even the topmost stars.. and it makes them all seem human and believable. Though very similar to the kind of films Madhur Bhandarkar makes, Luck By Chance is markedly different, and that reflects the intelligence and sensitivity of the director.
The actors raise the bar of the film. Farhan carries his flirtatious charisma with extreme ease; Rishi Kapoor is simply brilliant, quipped with the best dialogues in the movie, he manages to create the most lovable character in the movie with Juhi pleasantly tagging along; Dimple Kapadia is in a tailor-made role, extremely convincing as the strong, confident and manipulative mom of a startlet, played by Isha Sharvani, who does a decent job herself as the dumb, spoilt, star child. The actors in smaller roles do a brilliant job as well, lifting the overall standard of the film.
The movie's music is less popular than probably what it should be, with a few very soulful tracks; a usual fare with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's effort. Rather than the well-publicized 'Baawre', I personally enjoyed 'Yeh Zindagi bhi' and 'O Rahi Re' the most.
Go for Luck By Chance if you want something other than the regular, in-your-face, masala Indian cinema. It's totally recommended.

Yawn!: Though I dont want to sit and think about elements to bad-mouth in this film that I thoroughly enjoyed, but if I have to, it has to be Konkana's performance. She has been typecast into a kind of character that she has already played in every second film. Though decent enough, there is nothing unique or refreshing about her performance.
And again, many people might not be able to digest a film without a climax, though personally I loved the depiction in the chosen manner.

Chandni Chowk to China by Nikhil

Link: http://www.cc2c-thefilm.com/

Verdict: @#$!!^*%#!#@

Yawn!: To be honest, I don't have the right to write a review for this film right now because I haven't seen the film in entirety as yet. But the truth is, I dont even intend to! and that says it all. A half an hour into movie, that led me to watch Akshay Kumar reaching the stratosphere courtesy the leg-work of a bihari-accented Mithun, a chinese villian that killed his slaves with a flying hat, a heroine who could presumably fly, some horrible action sequences which were supposedly meant to be funny, cliched jokes over chinese people and their language, and not to forget Akshay Kumar referring to the heroine as a 'aloo parantha' not a 'sada parantha' in a bid to compliment her; I realized I had better things to do with my time. You could do too. Stay Away.

Cool!: Actually, whatever I could see in the half hour of the film has been detailed out in the previous section.

Chandni Chowk to China by Ashim

Oxford dictionary should include a new synonym for torture – ‘Chandni Chowk to China’. Masalas are so important for Indian audience who look to rest their brain cells after hard day’s work. But CC2C is an excruciating Masala fare that has no mazaa or dum whatsoever! I can hardly bring myself to describe it. Here is my attempt!
Action - Like a jaded, Eastman colour Chinese kung-fu movie. Mediocre!!
Music - Non-impressive and out of place. Songs come unexpected!
Direction – SUCKS!!! Snore-inspiring!!!
Now, let’s talk about the most awful department of the movie:
Script -Well, you don't look for logic and reasoning in hardcore ‘potboilers’ or ‘popcorn movies’ like David Dhawan ‘s flicks, but he would commit suicide if at all he makes something like this himself. Forget David Dhawan, even in a C grade director’s film, if somebody is thrown off the Great Wall of China, he would not be seen in the movie again. For god’s sake the Great Wall of China is not 3 feet high! Miracles don’t stop happening in this movie. Firstly it was Deepika Padukone thrown off it, who SURVIVES! Then her father, who SURVIVES! Nobody knows how! And, if this wasn’t enough, Akshay is also thrown from the same freaking place and miracle happens yet again and he is caught by Deepika’s father halfway in the air!
The director wanted to make it an out n out comedy flick and falls flat on his face doing so. He tried to inject humour in these scenes that required seriousness. Akshay’s training is full of absurdity and that is when Akshay should have been boiling with vengeance. Even in the climax scene, the director shows the villain animated like a potato when Akshay (with goofy grin on his face) is going to kill him. The movie could have been a tad better if the director considered having the post-interval scenes more serious. Akshay is a far better actor than being considered only for cracking jokes about chaddis, walnuts and what not!
The villain has special trick to kill people - his boomerang hat. The hat thrower, Hojo, beheads his enemies and comes back full circle. Wonder why he didn’t kill Akshay with this special skill of his. It would have been even more astonishing if the hat could slit his throat and come back to sit perfectly on his head. Tch! Tch! Nikhil Advani ji... You missed it buddy!
More irritating scenes - You can’t wait for the movie to end when the movie has just begun when these scenes bug you to death. Some airline passenger keeps asking Akshay and Ranveer - “Are you STUPID?” I want to ask Nikhil Advani the same question for making this movie. Akshay says he is 27 year old. Huh?? Next scene – his prominent grey stubble is noticeable. Mithun keeps kicking Akshay’s butt so hard that he flies to thermosphere and sometimes even to exosphere! Finally he flies to China after two poor Chinese men land right into parathewali gali in Chandni Chowk to meet Ranveer Shohri. Huh?? Earlier it was Mithun to make him fly, and later, it is Deepika’s chance to fly with him and sing a song like Govinda and Kimi katkar in ‘Dariya Dil’. Watch this video and have a good laugh! Or eat some nice n spicy Chinese food instead! You don’t need to waste your 150 bucks.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgUJK0cwBco


_____ASHIM_____

Slumdog Millionaire by Nikhil

Site: http://www.slumdogmillionairemovie.co.uk/

Verdict: An engaging fare.

Cool!: Slumdog Millionaire is a fine entertainer and the credit for it primarily goes to its director, Danny Boyle. A compelling narrative is used to unfurl a more or less typical story in an interesting and gripping fashion, making for a decent watch. The curiosity in the minds of audience so as to what led a slum-dweller to reach the last question on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" is well-maintained throughout and continuously fed with an engaging non-linear narration of the protagonist's past. There is a constant transition from the present to the past and back, but it only adds to the excitement of the plot. The camera work is exquisite, with some beautiful shots throughout the film, right from the slums to the train sequences. The performances are decent, though none of them truly stand out (enough to be given an award for it); enforcing what I said earlier, Slumdog's primarily a director's piece. The kid actors do a wonderful job of their time on the screen; Anil Kapoor is fine as the show's host, though Irfan Khan is more or less wasted.

AR Rehman's music leaves an impression; used as a background score in the film. The guy is at his creative best, using gun shots and train beats to create tracks that are fresh and extremely apt for the particular situations composed for. A beautiful mix of Indian and world music, Rehman does deserve an appreciation for this effort (though I feel the song ‘Jai Ho’, that is receiving all the accolades, is not the best of the lot; there are far better tracks in the album).

The movie primarily moves through the underbelly of Mumbai, providing glimpses of all that’s wrong here; whether it be the begging racket, the thriving underworld, communal riots or even prostitution; and like the Big B, some people might feel that India has been incorrectly portrayed. But the point to remember is that this is a straight out masala film, and it should be looked at only from an entertainment perspective. Trying to judge what impression of India would the world have on watching it just because it has been directed by a well-known foreign film-maker and meant for the world audience is not fair (so many Indian films are based on the same issues, but nobody cares what impression would they leave on outsiders just because we know they won’t ever reach them). The director has tried to tell a story, and has done a good job at it; bringing Indian actors, music and locations to the forefront while doing so. Probably that's all the movie needs to be appreciated for.

Yawn!: The story on the whole is kind of predictable, especially for us Indian folks, for whom every second movie has the same rags-to-riches plot. Also, the switch between hindi and english (being spoken by actors) also seems wierd at times, and that’s again probably only for us.. to imagine kids in slums or the underworld goons speaking out fluent english does seem far-fetched.. but being a movie meant for the global audience, probably it was necessary for getting them to understand the story, mixed with the right amount of local flavour.

_____NIKHIL_____

Slumdog Millionaire by Ashim

Slumdog Millionaire has everything what we Bollywood buffs crave for. It is what I was expecting and was happy to get! An illiterate slum kid from Mumbai to the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”! We emotional (read ‘sappy’) Indians just want to see him win. How is that for MASALA?

Though it’s an English movie but for Indians it does not defy the stereotype masala movies. This doesn’t mean Slumdog has nothing different to offer. It is presented with a different class. It is not Yash Chopra’s ‘Deewar’, Subhash Ghai’s ‘Khalnayak’, David Dhawan’s ‘Hero No.1’ or Akshay kumar’s ‘Singh is King’. It does the same thing though! It entertains with action, romance, comedy and thrill! But, here is what is ‘different’-
· ‘Action’ is intense and grim.
· ‘Romance’ is tormented by sexual abuse.
· There are ‘heartbreaks’ with contrasting black humour.
· There is ‘thrill’ which is present throughout!
· A ‘fairytale’ which opens with a torture scene and ends with a happy ending.
· Desire of wealth is stimulated by unpleasant poverty.
· Visuals and music are not run of the mill. They are astonishing, seductive and classy.

Dialogues are simple, crisp and intelligent. “What the hell can a slum boy possibly know?” shouts the snappy police officer and the response is “The answers!!” by the black-and-blue hero. He does not know all the precious answers simply because he is the ‘hero’. His knowledge to these answers has been justified by connection to either some prominent bitter-sweet memory or brutal events that haunted him in the past. So...‘how’ he knows these answers- is the structure of the film.

At times, though the concept seems unhinged. One wonders as to how a person from the slums speaks in English so fluently and on top of that he has a British accent! This does not take anything away from the director’s work! Boyle has handled Slumdog by panache. Some sequences like the murder of hero’s mother during a riot; a hilarious hand shake with Amitabh Bachchan and torture of fellow orphans by the cruel hooligans leave a lasting impact.

Dev Patel (Jamal) deserves accolades for his work. His performance is extremely realistic, as needed for the film. Irrfan Khan and Anil Kapoor don’t get a lot of scope to perform but make their presence felt and they handle their parts with flourish. The background score elevates the situations considerably. The visuals are strong enough to make the audience smell garbage heaps and feel for frowning homeless and orphans. The story, its execution, the performances, the drama... the product leaves you spellbound.To sum up, Slumdog Millionaire is an exceptional film in all respects. A maximum film!!!

_____ASHIM_____

Ghajini by Ashim

Do you know how strong film-making can augment and elevate an already powerful concept? You've got to check out GHAJINI for your answer! It is commercial Hindi cinema (masala) at its best. It demonstrates the age old good versus evil tale in an atypical way. It has “blockbuster” written all over it. Do yourself a favour. Go watch GHAJINI.

Yes, it is majorly Amir Khan who takes this film to dizzy heights. This does not take away anything from the director, whose execution is razor-edge. He has a style of his own. He tries to balance the light hearted sequences and the intense jaw-dropping sequences with skill. Sure, the actor deserves the highest award for this role, but new comer Asin acted her part brilliantly as well. It is no cakewalk to share the screen space with Amir Khan with such confidence. She is lively, photogenic and has her presence felt on the screen!

GHAJINI is not MEMENTO. It is a completely different plot. It's an out of the world experience, exciting story, engaging and thrilling at the same time. Climax action sequence leaves an indelible impression. Violence is not gory but intense. None of the brutal acts has been left unjustified. A.R. Rahman's music is first rate. Cinematography is stunning. The film bears a stylish look with background score, the visual effects and the script are synchronised brilliantly. The highlight is the most gripping scene in the film where Asin is killed by the sadistic gangster Ghajini. The scene is enthralling and will definitely make your heart beat faster!!

Expect the unexpected because GHAJINI offers you twist after twist. The only thing I could do without was the movie running time of 3 hours. It could have been shorter by at least 30 minutes if the flashback sequences were made crisper. Nevertheless, Asin’s superb performance sees it through. Yes, I was really keen on going into the present and see what is going to be Amir’s next move. The tattoo on his body already revealed that ‘KALPANA WAS KILLED’ in the trailers itself. So it was only about how and why is she killed. But still it was needed to balance the intense action sequences.

I am not fully convinced with the cast of the film. The cop is highly amusing. There could have been better choices for the villain. Thirdly, Jiah Khan, the medical student who studies the amnesiac and ends up first hindering then helping Amir, is a total blunder. She has to speak Hindi and do an item number and both are beyond her.

Overall, Ghajini is a king-sized entertainer designed to lure the audience and set the box-office afire! It’s an edge-of-your-seat and pit-of-your-stomach film. It was worthy of my 150 bucks. It is Hindi cinema at its best. It simply does what bollywood can do best. ENTERTAIN!

____A S H I M_____

Ghajini by Nikhil

Link: http://www.rememberghajini.com/

Verdict: Disappointing

Yawn!: I've rated this movies movie in the negative first and foremost because of the high expectations associated with it. Well, there are many way more pathetic movies doing well all around, but Ghajini was supposed to be the movie of the year! and in my opinion it turned out to be nothing more than an unintelligent, ordinary film.
First of all, the entire concept of short-term memory loss has been wasted in the film, because on the whole it doesn't play any significant role in the story. For that matter, even the well-publicised tattoos on aamir's body or the maps and pictures posted on the walls at his place in the movie have nothing to contribute to the plot.. because ultimately the villian and his goons remove/destroy/erase all of them and the hero is left in a hospital not knowing what to do... c'mon man, add some kind of intelligence for us to appreciate! ... At the end of it all, if you analyze, had the hero lost his memory completely would have made no difference to the overall plot. Just to clarify here, I'm not trying to compare the film to Memento, but if some new element is being introduced in a film, it is not wrong to expect it to be more than just cosmetic.

Ghajini is just a regular "villian kills heroine, hero kills villian" story.. and with the hyped up promos and aamir in the lead, I expected better. Many things amiss... the flashback is too long, the comedy doesn't click, the villian is laughable and a persistently-angry, overactive, rhino-look-alike inspector don't do any good as well.

Cool!: Aamir is awesome, as usual. He fits the bill as the angry, frustrated, revenge-seeking man. Its a pity as the film doesn't do justice to the kind of effort he's put in for it. The action sequence at the end has been brilliantly done, and it kind of summarizes the anger built up within the particular character. I believe many people would end up loving the film just because of these particular reasons, but that doesn't include me.

___N I K H I L____