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Aishwarya delivers baby girl

2011-11-16T01:02:00.001-08:00

All eyes are on the legendary Bachchan family not for any of their upcoming films but for the latest addition to their family.

The news is that Aishwarya has delivered a baby girl today morning. Tweeting about this, father Abhishek Bachchan announced, "IT'S A GIRL!!!!!! :-)))))". While Amitabh Bachchan obviously overcome with the joy of being a grandfather said, "I AM DADA to the cutest baby girl !!"

Chitrangada brings sexy professor look back!

2011-11-16T00:58:00.001-08:00

Remember Sushmita Sen as the sexy and stylish college professor in "Main Hoon Na"? Now Chitrangada Singh is set to recreate the same magic as a uber chic economics professor in "Desi Boyz".

Chitrangada's character required her to look edgy, smart, stylish and yet mature. So her stylist went with fringes for her hairdo.

According to a source, a renowned stylist from London was approached to design her get-up for the film.

The look turned out to be so classic that when Chitrangada met an Indian lady, who teaches mathematics at London's Trinity College, she came and asked the actress if she was really playing a university professor in the film.

"The professor told Chitrangada - 'Well, we look nothing like you, so can I get a picture with you', " said a source.

"Desi Boyz", which also features Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar and John Abraham, releases Nov 25.

Chitrangda sues Arjun Rampal for harassment

2011-11-16T00:57:00.000-08:00

The dusky actress plays a predatory woman who falsely accuses her boss in Sudhir Mishra's upcoming film. Did anyone say, Aitraaz?

Sudhir Mishra's new film has distinct echoes of 2004 Priyanka Chopra-starrer Aitraaz, in which Chopra played an ambitious woman in the corporate world. In Mishra's film, Chitrangda Singh plays a woman who gets carried away by her ambitions and ends up accusing the man she loves (played by Arjun Rampal) of sexual harassment.

Said Mishra, "I haven't seen Aitraaz. But a woman who loses her sense of self in a corporate set-up to pursue her ambitions can be very dangerous."

In the director's words, Singh plays a 'slut' in the film.

On the sets then, Mishra had a simple brief for his leading pair: Hate one another.

"A role of a woman, who tries to destroy the man she loves, has never been done in Hindi films. And Viacom 18, the producers are running scared

. They want the character's greyness to be toned down, and prefer it if Chitrangda is shown repenting towards the end of the film. Even Priyanka Chopra did at the end of Aitraaz, " said a source.

But Mishra is reportedly unwilling to take things down a notch.

"It's a film describing sexual dynamics in the corporate world. Chitrangda plays a woman who gets carried away by her ambitions. By contemporary definitions of womanhood, her character would be called a slut and she is unapologetic about the ruthlessness of her ambitions, " he said.

How did Ranbit get Katrina and Deepika under the same roof?How did Ranbit get Katrina and Deepika under the same roof?

2011-11-16T00:54:00.000-08:00

Ex-beau to both Deepika and Katrina, Ranbir invited them to a special screening of his film

It is widely known that Katrina Kaif and Deepika Padukone cannot see eye to eye. But for rockstar Ranbir, it looks like the two women were ready to fine-tune their personal equations.

Both the actresses were seen under the same roof after a long while, as Ranbir arranged an exclusive screening of his film Rockstar for his friends from the industry.

Says an eye-witness, "Deepika, Katrina and even Anushka were at the film's screening at Yashraj over the weekend. Ranbir was keen that all his closest friends watch it."

Apparently, Deepika and Anushka were seen chatting up and having a good time, while Katrina preferred keeping to herself.

However, there is little doubt that Kat was there to watch the film. Adds the source, "For Ranbir, at the moment, what's most important is to know what people think of the film.

He has always maintained a very cordial relationship with his exes. Deepika recently invited him for her housewarming party as well.

As far as Katrina goes, she is someone whose opinion would matter to him as well. There were points during the film where onlookers caught Deepika crying."

However, Dippy and Kat apparently made sure they didn't cross paths and Anushka acted as the buffer.

"Anushka doesn't really have any history with Ranbir so she was comfortable. The tension between the other two girls was reduced."

Ranbir, Imtiaz and their gang headed back to choreographer Ahmed Khan's house to party through the night, but the girls chose to stay away. They left the venue in their respective cars post the screening."

Rs 100 crore to protect RA.One

2011-10-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the film even beats '3 Idiots' with its whopping insurance cover

With RA.One releasing today amidst much festive frenzy, it is learnt that actor-producer Shah Rukh Khan is equally aggressive about insuring his film. Industry sources reveal that the film has been insured for over Rs 100 crore. And this, even before Yash Patnaik sued the production team, for using his story to make the movie.

Considering that the film cost about Rs 150 crore to make, SRK opted for the insurance to safeguard the interests of his film well in time, says our source. "As the creator and owner of the content, Shah Rukh has protected himself not just against production liabilities, but also Errors and Omission (policy).

The Yash Patnaik issue is covered and not a cause for concern, " explains our source, adding that Sunil Lulla's company which is distributing the film is also guarded by the policy that covers Distributors' Loss Of Profit (DLOP).

Interestingly, SRK's aggression vis-a-vis insurance is evident on the basis of the Rs 100 crore plus insurance policies that protect the movie, as compared to about Rs 75 crore for 3 Idiots initially. But that's not to say that the cover for the industry's biggest hit was any low.

"What makes you think that the fees of Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Vinod Chopra were slashed to compromise on the film's budget? 3 Idiots was an expensive film, " states our source, adding that after the release, the DLOP policy was almost doubled in a week.

Therefore, after RA.One's release, it won't be a surprise to hear of Sunil Lulla's company enhancing the policy to cover their losses, up to 60 days. "RA.One is SRK's most ambitious project. And whether in India or abroad, no Hindi film has been marketed and promoted like this, " he concluded.

Lov Ka The End (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

Yash Raj's first attempt at making a self-proclaimed full-blown anti romantic-comedy seems more of a half-hearted attempt at taking the route less-traveled by the banner. The idea seems inspired but the execution isn't much exciting.

Rhea (Shraddha Kapoor), defined as a sweet simple college virgin in the film, is in love with the filthy-rich Luv Nanda (Taaha Shah). But Luv is not only cheating on Rhea but also involved in a cyber race of uploading explicit videos of girls and winning brownie points for his exploits. When Rhea realizes this, she soon gets over being a crybaby and decides to get even with Luv.

Dharti (2011) DvdRIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

Serious Political Suspense Thriller, that is what Dharti is and I don’t think I’m mistaken while saying that this is the first time a Punjabi film has fallen into this category. Its a pleasing thought that such a film has been made and on such a large scale. In more than normal way this shall be considered a risk on the part of producers to grab upon such a theme. It is a bold step in Punjabi Industry and it signifies the trust of big production houses in the audience of Punjab that they are mature enough to accept a movie like this. However the film was promoted as something largely associated with Air Force, but it didn’t have much to do with that. It’s just that Jimmy Shergill’s background comes from Air Force as he is the Squadron leader. Apart from that he is mostly wearing his Air Force uniform and wears Aviators. Nothing more than that. This was a letdown as I was hoping it to be a patriotic film on national level. In truth the film is largely based on politics in Punjab.

Haunted 3D (2011) *DVDRip Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T07:47:00.000-07:00

Haunted 3D
A; Horror
Dir: Vikram Bhatt
Cast: Mahaakshay, Tia Bajpai, Achint Kaur, Mohan Kapur, Arif Zakaria
**

What's it about: There's something about this genre that fascinates Vikram Bhatt. We don't blame him, he's made a couple of horror/romantic thrillers in the past and seems like he's developed an affinity towards creaking doors and foggy hill stations.

With Haunted he tries to do many things at the same time create horror at the centre of a love story and use the 3D medium to raise the scare-o-meter. Beginning in Ooty, the film revolves around a haunted house that has a murky story dating 80 years back in time.

Mahaakshay (formerly Mimoh) heads this spooky hunt as he's sucked into the shady past of the house and its residents. There's ample of blood, gore and ghost busting lasting over two hours.

What's hot: Bhatt knows how to create the right setting to start the drama. This is his playground and he uses all the familiar elements well to create suspense and intrigue. As soon as we enter the haunted house the action starts.

Even though he gives away too much right in the beginning, it still keeps us engaged to know what might happen next. Spirits with unfinished business is a common peg to hinge your plot on, but here we get transferred to a lengthy flashback that explains the whole phenomenon well.

Cinematography and background music adds to the drama. Special effects and make up are remarkable, especially in the case of Zakaria and Kaur who must have gone through strenuous hours to look like that.

What's not: Haunted is way too clich ©d in many places to appreciate it as a cohesive work. The dialogues, scenes and scares have been done before. Even though the medium (3D) is new, Bhatt fails to capitalize on it. When Hollywood films like SAW are using it to its advantage we yet are confused with this technology.

Everything starts on the right foot, but soon there's way too much happening. When we get transported back in time, the story becomes predictable. Some scenes will raise chuckles when not expected. The rape scenes are cringeworthy and extended for no reason whatsoever.

Once we see the ghosts in their form and shape they lose the element of surprise. Major pain is the climax that goes over the top in every department.

Dialogues are corny and regressive. Mahaakshay fits the role, but needs to loosen up a bit. He has the same sullen expression through out, but lights up when he breaks into a popping-locking dance routine. Tia has the looks but lacks the ability to grasp your attention for long.

Arif and Achint deliver exactly what's expected from them. The music is below average and none of the tracks stay with you after the end.

What to do: Haunted fails in the attempt to come out as a solid effort, but has a few moments of genuine scare that are far and few.

Naughty 40 (2011) Dvd RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T07:39:00.000-07:00

Govinda Ala Re!, playing his age for the first time and yet a boy at heart. Whoopee! Naughty @ 40 directed by Jagmohan Mundra finally releases and brings to you the same buoyant and bubbly Govinda of yore. But the movie is new, and Govinda portrays a character who is trying to lose his virginity at the age of 40 with the help of two oddballs. So, would you like to know what this naughty man at 40 is up to?

First things first. How on earth could a 40-year-old man remain a virgin? Does it ring a bell with you? Yes, the movie is inspired from the Hollywood hit Forty year old virgin, but since it’s a Bollywood film things are a bit different here. Govinda is not the man with whom the audience would like to sympathize, but he is a mischievous man and likes to be vulgar rather than vulnerable.

The storyline - In his drive to be a complete man, he has his father Anupam Kher and a loyalist Shakti Kapoor as the experienced guides; the two love to device every kind of devious set-up for Govinda, but what transpires turns out to be a bit tragic for our hero. He is still far from his life’s goal. Then a small family outing in Manali helps the man to get married to a much younger girl, played by Yuvika Chaudhary. Though the girl is sweet her childishly impish ways make Govinda feel bored of marriage. So our naughty man gets physical to a firang babe. Yes, his biwi does come to know about this. A knotty situation for this naughty man.

Not again! - The second half of the film is a tad similar to many of Govinda’s earlier films where he is shown easily juggling the two ladyloves. The songs of the film lack the punch, and the jokes at times can be tagged pedestrian if not nasty. Too much of Govinda can also make you feel tired, almost like a forty someone feeling twice his or her age.

The enjoyable moments! - When the movie comes alive with a splatter of animated adult jokes, but you have to search for those moments in the haystack of the plot. Govinda’s awesome with his comic timing especially when he breaks into loud laughter. Gosh! The man still bursts with vim and vigour; he is dyed-in-wool entertainer, indeed a charmer and he still dances his way to the audience’s heart. Effortless!

Performances - Nothing is wrong with Govinda - virgin at 40, he is insane, inane and innocent, all in this movie. Yuvika Chaudhary, who is seen for the first time as a lead actress, tries to be like one of Govinda’s heroine. She does leave an impression with her acting, gesticulations and bubbly onscreen persona. And what to expect from the actors like Anupam Kher, Shakti Kapoor and Sanjay Mishra, who are natural and just spontaneous.

By now you must have understood that Naughty@ 40 is strictly a Govinda affair, and if you don’t let your mind get boggled by silly-wally bawdy jokes, you can enjoy this film. Jagmohan Mundra of Provoked fame has tried to deviate from socially relevant cinema and comes up with a nice rib-tickler.

Entertaining in parts and fits, Naughty@ 40 is for those who are either die-hard Govinda buffs or are looking for some naughty fun this weekend.

Shor In The City (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

A mixed bag- terrific, experimental cinema with cinematic delicacy but could have been exceptional.

By Jyotsna Kumar

Delhi 6, Dhobi Ghaat they both had themes, they both lacked story in particular yet they spoke to us, some ignored but some understood and now Shor in the City joins this league, as it tried something similar. One maddening city and three different stories, Shor in the City is a social fabric on the city Mumbai-the city where there is so much noise that doesn’t allow you to even hear your own sound at times, and at times you need the noise to absorb all other noises.

You must have noticed those curious faces of your friends and family the moment you step out of a theater after watching a recent flick. They all want to know the story of the film but is that trend still on or is it a passé? Hard to tell, because these days a whole lot of movie-makers are experimenting with different narratives on different subjects and so there’s hardly any story to converse but lot to discuss with respect to the theme. Shor in the City is one such flick where the theme overpowers respective plots in the film.

The narrative flags-off with the chronicles of Ganesh Chatturthi where Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy) –the NRI, trying to set-up a small business. In his quest to earn profit he’s encountered with unfriendly trio who forcibly offer him help only to reveal their murkier side to extort hefty extortion money.

On the other side, there is another bunch of threesome- Tilak (Tusshar Kapoor), Mandook (Pitobash Tripathy) and Ramesh (Nikhil Dwiwedi) who hopelessly engage into petty thefts and one day manage to slip out a bagful of arms and a bomb from a shady guy in a local train. The movie has explored the eccentricities and craziness of these characters to the hilt. When at one instance, Mandook needs some thrill in life as he decides to explode the bomb live in the city as he’s never seen anything being blown-up alive, and so the trio goes ahead with the plan. The dichotomy of the situation is when they have to travel the length and breadth of the city on Tilak’s motor-bike to locate an empty spot as Mumbai is never empty. And when they finally narrowed down a spot, the place still finds a kiddo roaming around. Also, during the climax, amidst the animosity, the trio provides a their every bit of humour when at the time of bank robbery Tilak quickly withdraws and says-“Main sirf moral support ke liye aaya hoon” and

Ramesh is disappointed to see only eight thousand rupees in the bank, and so, he waits for the bank manager to open the locks.

The third angle of the film revolves around an aspiring cricketer-Savan (Sundeep Kishan) who is hopelessly in love with his neighbour who is soon to be wed and on the other hand, needs ten lacks to give as a bribe to one of the T20 match selector.

The chaos and madness are the very substance of Shor in the City but somewhere the soul of the film, a concrete story is missing. The characters were well etched out where you feel sympathy for Abhay-caught up in the cobweb of hooligans. Sincerity in the eyes of Tilak, who runs a pirated publishing business but despite of it displays high degree of principles and moral values. Also, Tilak’s simplicity comes across naturally when he finds out ‘the deep philosophy’ of life in the pages of The Alchemist. Savan’s frustration and helplessness is relatable. But on the other hand, Tilak’s wife Sapna and Preeti Desai, Sharmili and Radhika characters are not given much attention hence; their characters are lost in the film. The music is fabulous especially the track Sahibo and Karma is a bitch, only if they were used well. The editing could have been sharp. The writing is refreshing, the screenplay is engaging on many instances comedy is not forced and is situational. The cinematography is ok and the sound is one department that deserves all applause especially after the bomb explosion sequence. The performances are exceptional but it was Pitobash Tripathy performance as Mandook that takes the cake. His peculiarities are so convincing that you beg for more screen time of his.

All in all, after long time, good news for the cine-goers but my only suggestion is that don’t keep your hopes so high and for those who come with the expectation that it’s a dark comedy then it’s not. And now a big round of applause to Ekta Kapoor and her banner who give us a daily dose of tears through her Saans-Bahu drama on idiot box but on the other hand treat us to the terrific, experimental cinema as cinematic delicacies. Woman, you are complete paradox in that retrospect. Final word for the director duo- Raj-Krishna, a very good attempt which could have been exceptional.

Chalo Dilli (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Chalo Dilli
U/A; COMEDY
Dir: Shashant Shah
Cast: Lara Dutta, Vinay Pathak, Akshay Kumar
**

What's it about: Lara Dutta and Vinay Pathak definitely make an odd pairing almost like Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell in Elf. The only difference being while the latter worked cause of the two talents put together the former doesn't quite make the same impression.

Set against the rickety backdrop of a journey from Mumbai to Delhi via some perilous adventures Chalo Dilli has Lara in the role of an investment banker who's surrounded by the luxury of assistants and Louis Vitton accessories.

Not knowing what's going to happen to her over the period of the next few days she makes a journey to Dilli but lands up in Jaipur and has a bumbling simpleton Manu (Vinay) to blame.

As expected they are opposites, while she rolls her R's while speaking he spits out tobacco between every pause. Despite their mutual dislike for one another the two have no choice but to make the most of the given situation.

What's hot: There are moments when the film sparkles and they come in the form of witty one liners or punches. Pitching Lara and Vinay opposite each other and putting them in the most awkward situations manages to bring out some humor.

Most of the chuckles come when they are stranded in a remote village and begin their journey to Dilli. Vinay Pathak is an absolute charmer and plays his part to perfection. His Manu feels like a bloke you could meet somewhere during a train journey. Lara brings the correct dose of sarcasm and rebuttal to her character.

What's not: The film's biggest drawback is the fact that it falls into the dangerous trap of coming off as one-dimensional. Once we are introduced to Lara and Vinay, there's nothing different or new that we can expect. Most of the arguments, fights, banter and goof ups are super predictable.

Also the second half, especially the climax is more sugar coated than a Hersheys bar. Instead of getting preachy and wanting to send out a message, they should let it be a fun affair.

The serious dramatic overturn towards the end punctures the average run of the film towards the very end. There's a serious overkill of trying to get the audience's waterworks running. But it just doesn't seem genuine. The songs are strictly average and Yana's Laila act does nothing to impress.

What to do: Chalo Dilli sets out on the right footing but doesn't quite make the impression one would expect.

Zokkomon (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:51:00.000-07:00

Starcast: Darsheel Safary, Anupam Kher, Manjari Phadnis, Asin
Director: Satyajit Bhatkal
Music director : Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa

Kunal (Darsheel Safary) is an orphan, who has lost his parents in an accident three years ago, and is being taken care of by his school authorities. Soon, Kunal has to go to his uncle’s village as the uncle is his legal guardian. The uncle, Deshraj (Anupam Kher), runs a school in the village and stays with his wife and a pampered son. Deshraj is evil and makes the students do all the menial work like cleaning and sweeping the floor. He also holds sway over the superstitious villagers, being hand-in-glove with a fake Swami, whom the villagers respect a lot.

Soon, Kunal realises that his new home and school have no place for him. He makes friends with two of his classmates, Rani (Gargi Datar) and Arju (Jai Vyas). One day, they accidentally reach a deserted bungalow which is said to be haunted. But Kunal, the brave one, enters the bungalow and comes out unhurt.Deshraj falls upon bad times and needs Rs. 60 lakh urgently. He and his wife hatch a plot to kill Kunal so as to inherit the Rs. 75 lakh that Kunal’s parents have left for him. Quite inexplicably, Deshraj takes Kunal to Mumbai and leaves him alone in the middle of an amusement park instead of killing him as per plan. He comes back to the village and declares that Kunal is dead.

Kunal finds a friend in Mumbai in Kitu (Manjari Fadnis), a street-smart girl. Much against his wishes, Kitu soon decides to take him back to his uncle. As they are about to leave by train, Kitu is apprehended by the police. She asks Kunal to continue on his journey, promising that she would join him.

Back in the village, Kunal is taken to be a ghost and everyone runs away from him. Only Deshraj knows that Kunal is back for real. He now plans to murder his nephew once and for all. Not knowing what to do, Kunal lands up sleeping at the haunted bungalow, where he meets Magic uncle (Anupam Kher again), a scientist who leads an isolated life in the bungalow. Years ago, Magic had come down to the village to get rid of the villagers’ superstitions but had failed in his mission. Magic inspires him to use science in the fight against superstition.

The duo soon gets to hard work and they are ready with ‘Zokkomon’, the superhero avatar of Kunal, who can fly.Now, Kunal a.k.a. Zokkomon gets down to the job of terrorising the evil school teachers. The children become his fans and start imitating him and fighting the exploitation by the school authorities. Deshraj, on the other hand, is waiting for an opportunity to get his hands on Kunal. Soon, Zokkomon exposes Deshraj and the fake Sawmi.

As a result, the villagers start shedding their superstitions. Kitu also arrives in the village and finds Kunal. What happens thereafter? Is Kunal/Zokkoman successful in his mission? Is he able to survive in spite of Deshraj’s evil designs? What happens to Deshraj and the villagers? The climax reveals the rest.

Final Word : On the whole Zokkomon was not able to create a mark in the box office

Dum Maaro Dum (2011) Pre DVD RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

Lust, drugs, mafia and to add a little more spice to it we have Deepika Padukone performing a sensual item number,and it’s all there in Rohan Sippy’s long awaited Dum Maaro Dum. The movie is about different lives in Goa. Every one linked with drugs or love. It starts with Tani and Lorry (Pratriek Babbar) getting admission in US universitiesbut lorry does not get a scholarship forcing him to depart from his love for four years. When one is depressed he looks for comfort in liquor but Lorry goes astep forward and ends up relieving his pain with dope and sex. But his hopes return as his friend gives him a choice to do a minor drug transfer in return for $15000 for his admission. Initially confused he decides not to but eventually turns towards it.Everything is set for him to go, but as luck has it he is caught in the airport by ACP Vishnu Kamath (Abhishek Bachchan)

The story of Kamath is then shown. Once a corrupted officer of the narcotic department, his life changes when he loses his wife (Vidhya Balan) and son in a car accident. Now he has been appointed to clear all corners of Goa. He appoints a team which includes Mercy and Sandesh Rane who one by one clear out all drug joints of Goa.
Now this rings a alarm in the house of Lorsa Biscuta who is the head of all drug deals in Goa. He owns most of the joints and has a hand in all kinds of business happening in Goa. All drug dealers are running scared and business seems to be slipping away when Biscuta turns to a secret friend Micheal Barbosa, who has never been seen before. Now Kamath is in the hunt for Barbosa. Mean while Lorry has been taken in lock up and fearing the worst for his family he doesn’t say a word. But determined to save him, his friend DJ Joki (Rana Daggubati) keeps talking to Kamath. And also he takes the help of his other friends to root out information about Barbosa just to be caught by Biscuta and beaten by him. Joki is in this because he lost his love Zoe (Bipasha Basu) to Biscuta as she also fell into this drug trap. Zoe now works for Biscuta. Zoe meets Joki and he asks her to help him free lorry from the cops. She falls for him again and after making love to him she records Biscuta talking about deals and gives it to Joki. But Biscuta finds out about this and gets rid of her

In this encounter Kamath finally finds out whom or rather what Barbosa is. But before he can close the case he is killed by Rane who turns out to be a traitor and an important man of Biscuta. Amidst all the incidents Joki finds out about everything and himself solves the case of Barbosa. He gets hold of all the drugs and calls Biscuta and makes a deal, he asks Biscuta to clear his and Lorry’s name. But while doing so he calls Rane. He takes Rane to the place where he has hid all the drugs. On the way he confronts Rane and kills him.
Next he calls Biscuta and tells him that it is the end of the story. Biscuta runs to the funeral of Kamath. We are then shown that all the drugs are kept inside the electrical furnace. Now with Kamath, everything that Biscuta owns is burnt to ashes. It’s a happy ending for everyone as Tani returns from USA and is reunited with Lorry. Now what exactly Barbosa means is something the movie needs to be watched

Final verdict:

Your expectations will be failed when you expect a glossy romance, but ofcourse the thrillling elemnet by Ramesh sippy will defenitely win the hearts of people who like action packed movie

Rating : 3/5

Teen Thay Bhai (2011) Pre DVD RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Movie Review: The good news is that Bollywood is brimming over with fresh talent as more and more young film makers don the director's hat and try their skills at story telling. Their's is a young vision and a modern sensibility that tries to steer clear of formula and cliche. And even if it looks at formula, it dabbles with it differently, as was evident in Dabangg.

Teen Thay Bhai may have been produced by Rakeysh Mehra but it has been directed by first-timer Mrigdeep Singh Lamba who does show promise as a filmmaker to watch out for. Just that his first film ends up as a half-blown venture where there are too many theatrics and too many loosely edited scenes to allow the film to unfold as an uninterrupted laugh riot. Now that's sad, because in terms of characterizations, the film is riveting. Om Puri's loud, crabby, me-centric Punjabi businessman act is quite funny, specially when it comes to his attempts to get his overweight daughters married. as the quack dentist with the quirky hobby -- he loves to iron clothes -- is absolutely mercurial, even as his love story with village vixen, ends up as the finest track in the film. Ragini herself makes an interesting shift from television to films with her breezy act as the boisterous Punjabi girl who loves to lie. And finally, there is who pitches in as the third brother, a wannabe actor, inspired by pulp. His rendition of the happy-go-lucky yokel is completely over the top and tends to get too melodramatic, here and there. But by and large, between them, the three brothers create a tantalizing trio that keeps rubbing each other off the wrong side.

The film however lacks consistency and some of the comic situations fail to evoke any humour. While the brothers try to co-exist peacefully in the ramschackled bungalow and almost end up killing each other, the drama holds your interest. But as it moves out into the wilderness, with blondes, dogs, drugs and cops, it loses track.

Watch out for the zany music track (Sukhwinder Singh and Ranjit Barot) with Mohit Chauhan and Daler Mehndi giving a lively rendition to Gulzar's funky lyrics, some arresting performances by the key players and Ashok Mehta's camerawork which creates magic with Kashmir. And yes, there's making his debut in Hindi cinema as the angsty Punjabi dadaji. Yograj Singh, who? Sadda Yuvraj Singh's daddy! All this might help you tide over the intermittent yawns that threaten to cloud an otherwise smart comedy.

Thank You (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

Anees Bazmee seems to be re-visiting familiar terrain with his new film. is heavily inspired by his earlier comic caper, No Entry, where had the onerous task of curing a motley group of errant husbands from their chronic infidelity. This time, it is who wields the baton -- or is it the flute -- to underscore the sanctity of the institution of marriage. Is this a case of playing safe for the director who has recently burned his hands at the box office or is it a drought of story ideas that seems to be Bollywood's biggest scourge?

Repetition notwithstanding, Thank You ends up as timepass fare, although it isn't as rollicking as No Entry. The first half of the film seems to be an exercise in nothingness and has you fidgeting in your seat as you try to look for the rare laughs in a script that is supposed to be funny. The bit-on-the-side sequences of the three husbands are hardly hilarious nor does the fuming wives club set the screen ablaze with hysteria. It is only in the second half that the film acquires form and substance and has you grinning at certain goof-ups. Akshay Kumar's elaborate plans to set the three marriages straight provides scope for actors like Irrfan Khan and Suneil Shetty to kick up a bit of fun, although has hardly any humour tailored into his role. By and large, he remains dour and angry as he begins to suspect his sweet wife Sonam of adultery. The girls, on their part, mostly remain cosmetic with Sonam looking terribly out of sync, Rimmi not being allowed to play her feisty self and Celina being forced to do the disappearing act for a large part of the film.

So what's funny about Thank You? It's the guys who reiterate the worn-out cliche that fidelity isn't an intrinsic part of male physiology. Add to this the high production values -- glitzy locales, jazzy styling -- and Pritam's pop numbers and you have a film that can be an average weekend getaway. Nothing more, not even Mallika Sherawat's item number.

F.A.L.T.U (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:27:00.000-07:00

The first thing that you notice about F.A.L.T.U. is it's energy. The story might remind you of 3 Idiots but the big difference is there is no rona dhona, excessive or little sentiment. The narrative does look juvenile, especially the clichéd ending but what holds your attention is the pace, it moves fast, doesn't give you time to get bored and before you sense monotony creeping in, you move onto a different scene. Also what makes the film an interesting watch is the absence of romance amongst the innumerable young and natural actors.

Except for the title, nothing about the film is faltu, not the plot or even the narrative. It's completely colourful like a party and the story goes on like a party. Many students who pass out of school with just pass marks get into a college which is not registered just to escape from parent's harassment and have a ball in the campus. Most of them are either not inclined in studies, have poor IQ, lazy or plain irresponsible. They know they cannot get admission in a college as all of them ask for 70 percent and above.

This story is designed to raise a question..what about the rest of the students who get pass marks of 36 or end up anywhere between 36 and below 70. A student asks, "Why doesn't the college fail us instead of giving us pass marks which don't guarantee us an admission?" Well, four students find an answer for this and inadvertently come up with a bogus college overnight just to overcome a temporary problem and end up providing an educational cover for scores of students like them.

The rest of the story is predictable, parents getting to know the truth and the students dealing with the outcome in a simple way. What makes it similar to 3 Idiots? The architects of F.A.L.T.U. realize the key to success is by encouraging each one of them to choose a subject of their choice, what they like most or inclined to and have the potential to excel. Instead of dragging tutors to educate them for the simple reason that they might let the cat out of the bag they bring in digital education.

The finale is dramatic and artificial though, they force their way into a dance competition of schools and emerge winners bringing legibility and legality to their college. The biggest relief again is that there is no lamba chauda moral lessons by Mithun Chakraborty who plays a cameo. Talluri Rameswari makes a brief appearance and has exactly two words to speak. Everything is brisk, light but with a message. Dialogues too are fresh, colloquial and some which refer to homo-sexuality could have been censored.

One character that stands out is that of a student's father who owns a scrap shop, who sees a meaning and a discovery in everything that's discarded but fails to notice the unutilized intelligence of his child. Songs are vibrant and peppy. F.A.L.T.U. is a film that would appeal to the youth and also the adults, it is light-hearted but with a message in allusion to the lop-sided educational system. But for the plot and endearing and confident performances by the ensemble cast, you would definitely term the film completely faltu.

Finally Remo D'Souza has the potential in him to make a fine film, far better than this but so far so good, he has dished out a fair film, a pucca time pass.

Game (2011) Dvd Scr RIP Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

The first half of Game is truly interesting, three men and a woman are guests at a breath-taking and a beautiful home of a billionaire at Samos Island, a private one in Greece. The richie rich Kabir Malhotra is played by Anupam Kher who sends lovely hand-written letters in Hindi and invites them over. While showing off his priceless wine and bonsai that flowers once in 27 years he reveals his intention rather abruptly on why he'd called them over.

In front of his house he has a twin tower like memory apparently put up for his dead woman and illegitimate daughter Maya (Sarah Jane Dais). The three men have destroyed Maya's life over different period and they are here as Malhotras has planned to take revenge by punishing them and summoning the vigilance officer the next day to his home. The conversations are recorded and give away the clue that something could go wrong with Malhotra and as expected he is found dead in his study next day.

We are offered a glimpse into Maya's life from the time she was abandoned and how she was used consciously or unconsciously by the three men. To break the strain over the eyes, these men are shown as hailing from different locations all over the world. Abhishek Bachchan's brief romantic interlude looks superficial and he shedding tears suddenly in one scene looks copious. His nonchalant, indifferent and cool attitude throughout the film takes away the seriousness from his role.

His long jog, hop, skip and jump run beginning from his flat to some insignificant by-lane in Istanbul fails to stupefy everyone except Kangana Ranaut. The lady's accent and expressions don't match her smart formal clothes. Neither does Abhishek's identity revelation shock you, you react with a simple oh, okay expression. The first half of the story is absorbing, keeps you thinking but post interval, the director brings about many inconsistencies in the script.

Kangana Ranaut plays the head of an investigative agency and her role drags to a pointless finale. She attempts to be the perfect choice for her character not bad, but her terrible English and the director trying to replicate her role straight from some Hollywood movies misfires. The movie is not very bad, it could have still been better with a taut narration and a finale, especially in the latter half of the story.

The emphasis should have been mainly on who bumped off Malhotra rather than giving a whole lot of screen space to Kangana and her dumb-headed secretary who has no reaction on his face. She runs around showing she's in control of things and reminds you of what Rani Mukherjee did in No One Killed Jessica. This is a film that is content driven, performances are mediocre, even if they had been exemplary it would have been wasted as the finale is listless.

Sarah is forgettable and all you get to see of her is in her strange obscene cabaret dance costume and her voice message over the phone. The only part worth noticing are the picturesque locations. Game makes an interesting watch for those interested in thrillers and are easily shocked by small twists and turns, it keeps your attention for a major part of the film

The Lion of Punjab (2011) Watch Online/Download [Punjabi]

2011-05-14T06:13:00.000-07:00

One can easily draw a parallel in Singh is King and Lion of Punjab… Just like Singh is King (in which Akshay and Om Puri go abroad), in LOP (Lion of Punjab) Diljit, Pooja Tandon and Gurpreet Ghuggi travel to Chandigarh. But unlike Sing is Kinng, Lion of Punjab is a lot more action oriented film and Diljit suits his character a lot more than Akshay did his.

In fact the biggest grace of the film is Diljit’s acting. He seems very comfortable on camera and not even once misses his cool pace in the film, moreover he justifies his character with a mix of everything… drama, comedy, action… Diljit makes a shift from his action sequences to comic scenes in such a swift way that it’s barely noticeable. I would love to see Diljit doing a full comedy movie. His dialogues seem very natural and effortless. Despite the demand of his role, he never seems pompous or boastful.

Tanu Weds Manu (2011) Dvd Scr Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:08:00.000-07:00

Sukanya Verma reviews Tanu Weds Manu.

A London-based Delhi [and his family arrive at a Kanpur household kicking off a vibrant ruckus of prattle and curiosity.

Following a black eye fix from a local ruffian at the railway station, the jittery visitor and Co. lose some of their inhibitions after they're greeted by a naked tot waving at them with a cutesy, 'Aaiye, aaiye.' Meanwhile, the typically enthusiastic hosts indulge them with obligatory chit-chat and (presumably) Thaggu's ladoos.

The vocabulary, disposition, sensibility, camaraderie and milieu is fond, familiar and stems from a classic set-up in upper middle-class, non-cosmopolitan North India [; all these elements composite into giving director Aanand L Rai's Tanu Weds Manu, travelling to and fro between Delhi, Kanpur, Lucknow and Kapurthala, a sense of accessibility and realism.

What ensues after the afore-mentioned scene is, however, not a commonplace eventuality. Although it's a routine arranged marriage layout for boy-meets-girl, the lady in question, is no Geet or Simran [.

A quirky creature with a picture of Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara in her bedroom, Tanu (Kangna Ranaut [ ) is the kind of girl with no real focus, only cosmetic aggression. Although she's educated, her idea of liberation is hollow rebellion -- hanging out with crooked fellas, drinking, smoking, occasionally swearing -- which gets all the more highlighted because her parents appear to be exceptionally accommodating.

For all her care-a-damn attitude, Tanu, just like her fierce curls and gentle countenance, is a fascinating paradox hopping between edgy and erratic, a soft head who sulks randomly, giggles comically, indulges in all possible shock tactics but ultimately does think there's not much difference between her and a 'bandariya.'

There's a thin line between silly and stupid but Kangna Ranaut makes Tanu work with her chirpy appeal and energy. Not really known for dialogue delivery, Ranaut uses her lumbering tongue to Tanu's advantage lending the rom-com some added lightness.

Then there's Manu . Manu, like Mohan Bhargav of Swades , is exactly the kind of too-good-to-be-true guy for whom terms like 'instantly likeable' were coined. And Madhavan suits the role to the T. He's perfectly cast as the genial, composed doctor head over heels in love with Ms High Maintenance.

Of course, they're no Joel and Clementine but the disparity is along the same lines. There are more layers to Manu than meet the eye but they're never underlined by writer Himanshu Sharma. Tanu Weds Manu engages best if you can read in between the lines and draw your own sub-text.

Sharma fails to maintain the zing till the very end though. A disappointing, lengthy and gabby third-act makes Tanu Weds Manu's running time of 2 hours and 15 minutes longer than it is. It's a shame for a script that has previously recognized the strength of communicating in silence or subtlety.

Some of the best scenes in the movie do not involve any talking. Rai captures the simplicity of eye contact and an innocuous smile in the scene when Manu helps Tanu pick a pair of earrings or her wedding lehenga. Even the talkie portions are on the crisp, terse side before Jimmy Shergill comes in to spoil the party and go on and on about what a threat he is. That last scene could have simply done away with all that filmi bak bak. Jimmy's verbal shimmy aside, Tanu Weds Manu is a pleasant experience for most part.

Wedding celebrations often make for a dazzling backdrop in romantic capers, be it Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! or Band Baaja Baarat. Tanu Weds Manu, too, employs the joie de vivre vibe to create resplendent song and dance spectacle with much help from Krsna's effervescent score ranging from thumping bhangra to rousing Sufi.

Besides its two titular characters, Tanu Weds Manu is blessed with an almost flawless supporting cast of actors like Deepak Dobriyal as Manu's fretful, fast-talking pal, Pappi. He's especially droll in the Jai Mata Di sequence while haggling with a utility services attendant. On Tanu's side, you sit up and take notice of Swara Bhaskar as her blunt and plucky BFF alongside Eijaz Khan [ her fiery 'n' fun groom. Reliable veterans like K K Raina, Rajendra Gupta and Navni Parihar competently fill in the shoes of Tanu and Manu's concerned yet harmless parents.

In a candid moment, Manu's father tells Pappi that he'll be happy if his son gets married and settles down but even if he chooses not to, 'Main apne ghar mein khushi se baitha hoon.' That's Tanu Weds Manu for you. It doesn't take offense at anything but will charm you anyway.

Rediff Rating:

7 Khoon Maaf (2011) DVD SCR Rip Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T06:04:00.000-07:00

The film is a series of one night stands when what we wanted from the director Bhardwaj was an affair to remember

7 Khoon Maaf
Director: Vishal Bharadwaj
Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Naseeruddin Shah, John Abraham
Rating:

Imagine a cocktail party full of dangerously beautiful women and handsome but decadent men. Imagine a home where such a party is thrown--inherited furniture, heavy drapes, smoke filled air and a butler who knows the bar as well as who drinks what. Now imagine a film where a succession of such men trip in and out of the door. It makes a wonderful series of vignettes, with Susanna, the hostess, played by graciously allowing herself to be used and abused. Sadly, though, it's no more than that.

Moody, atmospheric, marked by tremendous performances, and yet somehow the parts don't make the whole. Not for lack of trying. Susannah is a tigress on screen. Sometimes slapped around, sometimes loving with abandon, sometimes happy in lust, and sometimes plain jaded, she is a woman of any freedom-loving woman's dreams. Mistress of a sprawling home, with no particular known income, she lives in decaying splendour like our very own Scarlett O'Hara. She has an ancient maid (Usha Utthup, in a surprise appearance), a discreet butler, a one-eyed jockey (for she is the mistress of several racehorses) and a loyal little boy whom she decides to put in school (a bitter-sweet debut by Naseeruddin Shah's younger son, Vivaan).

The plot is over-written as is to be expected in a film which becomes an extended cocktail party. The guests are fascinating, representing her lucklessness in love. There's the cruel army major (Neil Nitin Mukesh, excellent), the rock star (John Abraham, as good as he can get as the drug-addled, sex crazed Jimmy Stetson aka Jamshetji Rathore), the sensitive poet with a nasty streak as always brilliant), the kind doctor (Naseeruddin Shah, with a jolly Bonglish accent), the lascivious police officer (Annu Kapoor), and the handsome Russian (Aleksandr Dyachen, who should immediately be imported to Bollywood). All of them have their kinks and claws, and the pleasure is in discovering them.

Susanna Sahib's search for love takes her into territory that is often horrifying, but somehow the writing ensures that each episode remains a brilliantly shot and enacted short story, never quite integrating into a whole, introducing us to several guests but not quite involving us. Vishal Bharadwaj makes Priyanka act out of her skin, and she tries hard, subjecting herself to things onscreen most Hindi film stars wouldn't (don't get your hopes up, boys, Hindi film heroine standards are low).

Bharadwaj tries to give Susanna (sometimes Sultana, sometimes Sunaina, sometimes rock groupie Susy and other times the mysterious Anna) a reality by rooting her struggles with that of India. Oh, look, as Susanna marries her first husband, Operation Blue Star is happening. Oh, look, there's the Babri Masjid demolition as she meets her Kashmiri poet, oh look again there's the Pokharan nuclear explosion. And yet again, the IC-814 hijack.

It's not to say that there is no joy in watching. Not at all. There are several. Priyanka Chopra, for one, showing tremendous courage. The men, for being uniformly engaging. The cinematography which succeeds in creating an atmosphere of lurking menace. The art direction, which almost threatens to overwhelm the film. The music, which is so perfectly matched to the movie. And yes, even Ruskin Bond, the writer, in a special role, saying the line that sums up the movie: It all comes down to love, sweetheart.

Indeed it does. Pity then that the film is a series of one night stands. What we wanted from the operatic Bhardwaj was an affair to remember.

United Six (2011) Pre DVD Rip Watch Online/Download

2011-05-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

United Six: Six girls attempt to loot a bank in Bangkok and things go terribly wrong. They now want to escape. Find out more in the review.

Business rating: 0.5 star

Star cast: Parvathy Omanakuttan, Daisy Bopanna, Luna Lahkar, Mahi, Isha Batwe, Pooja Sharma.

What’s Good: Nothing really.

What’s Bad: The childish script.

Verdict: United Six is a poor show all the way.

Loo break: Anytime, any number of times!

Watch or Not? Watch it at your own risk.

White House Productions Ltd.’s United Six (A) is the story of six girls living in Bangkok. They are friends and they all are going through tough times at their work places. Jia (Daisy Bopanna) has just been fired from the bank she works in because she has turned down the sexual advances made by her boss. Frustrated, Jia decides to rob the bank and she convinces all her five friends viz. Shaina (Parvathy Omanakuttan), Maddy (Luna Lahkar), Tia (Mahi), Candy (Isha Batwe) and Tootsie (Pooja Sharma) to support her. The friends are reluctant at first but they finally relent.

The six girls rent a bakery adjacent to the bank and start digging a tunnel leading to the strong room of the bank. However, they soon give up their mission when they realise that it is an almost impossible task. They are in for a shock the following day when all television news channels break the news that the bank has been looted and that six girls are the masterminds behind the bank robbery. The police get cracking the case and all attempts are being made by them to identify the six girls.

Unable to understand how their aborted plan could have led to the bank robbery, the girls are now on the run from the Bangkok police. While hiding their identities, they have to also arrange for money to hire a launch to escape from the country.

Do the girls succeed in escaping the law? Or do the police nab them? Who is the bank robber?

Story and Screenplay – United Six Review

Vishal Aryan Singh and Kapil Mishra’s story is terribly childish. There are so many weird twists and turns that it is a shocker anyone could make a film based on such a kiddish plot. Firstly, why six frustrated girls would think of robbing a bank to combat their frustration has not been explained. A tough and risky job such as a bank robbery has been treated with such casualness, it would seem it was a left-hand job for anyone. The girls give up their mission as easily as they took it up, again revealing their casual attitude to such a serious act.

Even after they learn of the Bangkok police chasing them, they run on the streets in one group, endangering their lives no end. Their behaviour on crossing even one hurdle in their escape from the country is idiotic, to say the least. It seems strange that they never think of surrendering to the police and coming clean about their aborted plan. Although the girls are in Bangkok, they keep referring to the police as KLPD (Kuala Lumpur Police Department), obviously, just so that the vulgar-meaning abbreviation can evoke laughter. But what would the Kuala Lumpur police be doing in Bangkok?

The six girls exhibit a rare show of solidarity always and yet, when towards the end, one of them – Maddy – is left behind while the five others escape in a train, the five are shown to be hardly perturbed by the development. In short, the drama is anything but convincing.

Although the climax is meant to come as a shock, it doesn’t really shake the viewer, if only because the rest of the drama is so juvenile.

Star Performances – United Six Review

Parvathy Omanakuttan does a fair job. Daisy Bopanna is quite alright. Luna Lahkar performs reasonably well. Mahi, Isha Batwe and Pooja Sharma are okay. Others fill the bill. Since it is a girlie flick, the absence of a hero is understandable but this will go against the film’s box-office prospects.

Direction, Music & Action – United Six Review

Vishal Aryan Singh’s direction is better than his script because he has at least managed to keep the chase sequences fairly exciting. Pritam Chakraborty’s music is functional but the songs are at least fast-paced and also interesting because they go well with the mood of the film. Ashish Pandit’s lyrics are okay. Sanjay Shetty’s choreography is nice. Amar Mohile’s background score adds to the tension in some scenes. Camerawork (by Sugin Mamai) is quite nice. Action and stunt scenes, choreographed by Ron Smoorenburg and Kecha Jaika, are okay. Mukesh Thakur’s editing is fair.

watch online movie patiala house

2011-02-14T02:15:00.000-08:00

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is around the corner. The excitement among fans is humongous as we are a few days away from the opening match. So it's perhaps a great move to release a film with a cricket theme, just before the big tournament.

While we've seen many films based on cricket (LAGAAN, VICTORY, IQBAL), PATIALA HOUSE is different as it's primarily a father-son conflict, having cricket as it's backdrop.

34-year-old Parghat Singh Kahlon aka Gattu (Akshay Kumar) had given up his dreams due to his authoritarian father Gurtej Kahlon (Rishi Kapoor), 17 years ago. Despite being an excellent fast bowler, he wasn't allowed to play for Firangis (England) as their family was subjected to racist attacks many years back. Gurutej turned very aggressive post the incident and used to raise his hand or voice at the drop of a hat.

Gattu, on the other hand, has been living a mediocre life, working in a Southhall corner store for years now. The younger generation of his family blames him for setting the wrong example.

Still not over with his love for the game, Gattu discreetly practices bowling when no one is around. His neighbour friend Simran (Anushka Sharma) and her kid brother (Z) are determined to get Gattu's life back on track. Will he get his life back is what forms the rest of the story.

Nikhil Advani keeps the narrative to the point, avoiding all the redundancies in the first half. The characters and their conflicts are well established. It's a tough situation if you are in the shoes of Gattu and have to choose between your dreams and family. You really do feel for Gattu and his predicament. Simran and Zee making a spineless Gattu realise the importance of chasing dreams is inspiring. Their characters act as catalysts in moving the story ahead.

Post the interval, the Nikhil goes a bit wayward in his direction. The entire plan and more so its execution is just too convenient. The cricket scenes, though not bad, don't arouse the excitement that LAGAAN immaculately did.

The plot is no doubt predictable. You roughly know what will happen in the end. But how Nikhil reaches there is plausible. There's an endearing scene just before the interval where Priti Kahlon (Jeneva Talwar) tells Gattu that the Britishers treat Indians as equals and have hence offered him a place in their team. The lighter moments manage to bring a smile.

Manan Sagar's editing is good but the second half could have been much tighter. Cinematography by Santosh Thundiyil is nice. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music goes well with the film.

Akshay Kumar, teaming up with Nikhil after CHADNI CHOWK TO CHINA, is first-rate as he delivers a very restrained performance. He looks convincing as a cricketer and never goes overboard. Rishi Kapoor plays his role to perfection. Anushka Sharma is refreshingly good and is at her chirpiest best. The boy who plays Zee is completely natural. Dimple Kapadia doesn't have much scope. Tinu Anand is good. Thankfully, the cricketers (Andrew Symonds, Herschelle Gibbs, Kieron Pollard) are just seen playing cricket and don't mouth dialogues. All the other characters are fine in their small roles.

PATIALA HOUSE is a heart-warming drama. Do pay a visit to this house with your family. A fun time is guaranteed.

watch online movie Utt Pataang

2011-02-14T02:12:00.000-08:00

Telling the incidents that happened one night, 'Utt Pataang' is an intelligent film that entertains while maintaining a fun element right through its 100 minutes duration. What makes these 100 minutes special is the back and forth narrative that is the USP of 'Utt Pataang'. So what one gets to see are numerous scenes that are revisited later in the film while bringing with them an altogether different connotation, something that one never saw coming.

It is this narration style that makes 'Utt Pataang' stand a distance away from many other thrillers. Where 'Utt Pataang' scores is the storytelling pattern more than anything else. This is what makes this Srikanth V. Velagaleti directed film an innovative piece of cinema.

Vinay Pathak breaks up with his girlfriend (Mahie Gill) only to get hooked up with another girl (Mona Singh) with help from his friend (Saurabh Shukla). However when a French inspired gangster (Vinay Pathak again, now in a double role) joins them all, there is total mayhem that leads to an unexpected end.

For a film like this with just five principal characters to boast, it is of paramount importance to keep the duration in check. This indeed happens in case of 'Utt Pataang' where care is taken to ensure that there is not much 'utt pataang' in the very narrative.

Still, there are portions in the film where one wishes that things moved faster. Case in point being the entire French inspiration in Vinay Pathak's gangster character which is a little too stretched and actually seems irrelevant in the core context of the film. Also, Mona Singh's character stays on to be quite dull while also being a little unbelievable.

However this is compensated to a fair degree by Saurabh Shukla who makes the best use of the opportunity. He is fantastic. Vinay Pathak is good as a simpleton but just fair as a French inspired gangster. Mahie Gill looks bewitching throughout and adds oopmh to the proceedings. Mona Singh is just about average. The film is marred by barely average production values though. Also, it doesn't have any scope for music. Editing is good though, something which was required to complement the narrative and genre of the film.

30 minutes into 'Utt Pataang' and you regret the fact that why wasn't the film promoted at all. In the times when number of undeserving films are backed by an intense marketing and promotional campaign, a sweet but not so simple film like 'Utt Pataang' has come virtually unannounced. Now that's disappointing for a film which is a good comic thriller that has various moments that make one nod in appreciation.

watch online movie yeh saali zindagi

2011-02-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

Zindagi pe tera mera, kis ka na zor hai. Hum sochte hai kuch, yeh sochti kuch aur hai', go the lyrics from the title track of YEH SAALI ZINDAGI. They are terse enough to describe what goes on in the film, and life in general. The film, just like life, is replete with unexpected twists and never ceases to amaze!

In YSZ, Sudhir Mishra's back with his HAZAARON KHWAISHEIN AISI actress, Chitrangada Singh. Being backed by Prakash Jha Productions', the film got a decent pre-release promotion and has generated enough buzz.

YSZ basically traces several characters and how their tracts are eventually connected. Arun (Irrfan Khan) meets singer Priti (Chitrangada Singh) and is instantly enamoured by her beauty. Priti gets attracted to Shyam (Vipul Gupta) who's introduced to her by Arun himself (Talk about digging one's own grave). Shyam is engaged to a high-profile minister's daughter. Petite goon Kuldeep (Arunoday Singh) kidnaps Shyam so that he can exchange him with his jailed boss Bade (Yashpal Sharma) from the minister. Priti finds herself intertwined in this messy situation and Arun wants to help her unconditionally.

It takes some time to comprehend what exactly is going on as Sudhir introduces the numerous characters and their respective tracks. The film is highly convoluted and requires attentive viewing. But it's this very complexity that makes the film special and engaging. There are various sub-plots and twists through the entire film, keeping you hooked. The writing is smart and witty complimented by superb characterisation. Also, one thing that works big time for the film is its quirky dialogues. In one of the scenes, Arun says 'Aane wali pedhi yaad rakhegi, there were fools like us' which has you in splits.

The narrative never loses steam, despite the frequent flashbacks. Sudhir precisely handles the romantic tracks and the thrilling portions. Although there's a lot of foul language in the film, it goes well with the local Delhi milieu. The MATRIX type climax is good fun to watch.

Abhishek Ray and Nishat Khan's music is very pleasing. All the songs are well interspersed with the narrative. The superb background score elevates the overall impact. Sachin Krishnan's cinematography is brilliant. Sudhir Mishra and Manu Rishi's dialogues deserve special mention.

The performances in a Sushir Mishra film are always admirable and YSZ is no exception. Irrfan Khan is simply outstanding. His subtle comedy is very effective. Chitrangada Singh looks good and acts wonderfully. Arunoday Singh (SIKANDAR, AISHA, MIRCH) plays the local Delhi thug to perfection. Aditi Rao (DELHI 6) is charming and acts well. Sushant Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Yashpal Sharma, Vipul Gupta and Prashant Narayanan are excellent in their respective roles.

YEH SAALI ZINDAGI is a racy entertainer which blends the right amount of romance, comedy and thrill. You will regret throughout your zindagi for missing this one!

watch online movie Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji

2011-02-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Amisha Patel

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Producer: Madhur Bhandarkar, Kumar Mangat

Music: Vishal Bhardwaj

Madhur Bhandarkar’s films are always known to create a buzz across the industry. His new offering is completely out of the box for his genre of Cinema. Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji sees the reunion of Ajay devgn and Emraan hashmi after their commercial success “Once upon a time in India”. The film explores the life of three individuals Naren Ahuja (Ajay Devgn), playboy Abhay Suri (Emraaan Hashmi) and Milind Kelkar (Omi Vaidya). Abhay and Milind are paying guests in Naren’s house.

The film starts off well with the sketches of the characters setting the right tempo. Funny man Paresh rawal’s voice over adds to the curiosity of the film. Naren ahuja{ajay devgn} falls for a girl who works as a internee played by Shazahn padamsee in his bank after getting divorced from his ex -wife. Abhay suri {Emraan hashmi} dons the role of a gym instructor/play boy. His story takes a twist when America return Nikki narang {Shruthi haasan} comes to India. Guess what he really falls for Nikki. Milind kelkar {Omi} is a poet digging out the funniest lines as one can hear. He also works in a Matrimonial site called ZhatpatShaadi.com. He falls for radio jockey Gungun Sarka {Shraddha das} who is an ultimate opportunist using Milind for all her works.

Ajay devgn excels in his role as usual. He’s tryst with comedy off late is paying off. Emraan cake walks in his role getting good lines. He is also back to his Smooching days. Omi reshuffles in his 3idiots role. He also speaks Marathi in the film. Shazahn delivers a laudable performance. Haasan is yet to start off her acting career after this film. Shraddha’s role as radio jockey and opportunist pays off well. Tiscan chopra, one of the supporting lead effortlessly portrays her character.

Well the problem with the film would be its placid second half. One wonders that he‘s dragged into the film. The film which was touted to be a romantic realistic comedy loses its way in the latter half. The writing if better would have certainly saved the film. Prittam’s music is utterly disappointing. Ravi walia’s photography is commendable. At the end of the day Madhur should realize that this genre is not his cup of tea, better he sticks to his previous genre.

Considering films coming to TV very early these days it would be good for audience to watch this flick at home.

watch online movie hostel

2011-02-14T01:50:00.000-08:00

It’s the story of Karan (Vatsal Sheth) who takes admission in an engineering college in the interiors of Maharashtra. He stays in the college hostel, where he’s subjected to unimagined torture in the name of ragging. Some people from the college administration are also involved, but the spineless principal refuses to take any action. Karan’s only support in this turmoil is his girlfriend (Tulip Joshi).

Manish Gupta’s narrative stars promisingly with some hard-hitting moments. But it soon fizzles out as it becomes humdrum. You just have Karan being tortured in different ways, which doesn’t take the story ahead. Some of the cheesy dialogues are cringe worthy. The romantic track intended to provide some relief, in the otherwise gloomy film, lacks spunk. Even the climax, doesn’t provide any solution to the issue of ragging, making you wonder why this film was actually made in the first place.

Srikant Naroj’s cinematography is decent. Virag Mishra’s music is uninspiring. The editing by Sanjib Datta is good.

Vatsal Sheth delivers a good performance, but the role doesn’t allow him to go beyond a selected set of expressions. Tulip Joshi is passable. Mukesh Tiwari is very good as the bad guy. All the other actors perform well.

A feeble script makes the stay in this HOSTEL far from being a good one.

Cast: Vatsal Seth, Tulip Joshi, Mukesh Tiwari,

Director: Manish Gupta

Producer: Vicky Tejwani, Kailash Raj Gandhi, Gurpal Singh

Music Director: Himesh Reshammiya

Writer: Manish Gupta

watch online movie dhobi ghat

2011-02-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

It often so happens, on a hot sunny day, when even the luxurious confines of your air-conditioned car seem stifling, a lonesome figure approaches your car. Even though the person approaching you is a complete stranger, the routine that ensues is strikingly customary: the beggar is greeted with either a dismissive hand gesture or an impulsive act of generosity. The routine is so placidly perfunctory that more often than not, there is not even a mere acknowledgment of the eyes. But when the eyes do meet, the gaze does bring to the fore a realization that we seldom stop and think about: beyond the black-tinted windows lies a world that we inhabit, but there also lies a world that is far removed from our own. And as the stop sign turns green and you roll up your window to once again blind yourself to a reality that is as inhuman as it is impersonal, the sheen of your window paints a canvas that fleetingly aligns the two disparate worlds. And so does Kiran Rao’s Dhobi Ghat, a movie that is a bit about you, a bit about the figure on the other side, and a bit about the reflection in between.

I was fortunate enough to catch a screening of the movie at the London Film Festival and to be absolutely honest, I am completely bitten by the festival bug. It’s a very special feeling to be sitting and watching a movie with a group of people who appreciate and honor quality cinema, but what makes watching a movie at a festival truly special is that it allows the audience the rare opportunity to interact with the director. This enables the audience to better understand the underlying motives and inspirations that helped make a germ of an idea into a 70mm reality. When asked about what inspired her to make Dhobi Ghat, Kiran started with the expected answer that she wanted to make a movie that explored the different dimensions of Mumbai. But apart from that, she said her true inspiration behind the making of the movie came from the fact that most of the houses in Mumbai come with very short-term lease agreements, which makes it virtually impossible for people to stay at one place for a long duration. She talked about how she wondered if she could write a story about a person who would be forced to move around to different parts of Mumbai (as a result of short-term lease agreements) and resultantly discover or for want of a better word, “rediscover” Mumbai.

And thus was born the story of Arun (Aamir Khan). Arun is shown to be a reclusive painter who has spent a fair amount of time in one of the many urban localities of Mumbai. Upon finding out that the lease on his current house will soon expire, he starts looking for a place in Old Mumbai where he wouldn’t be bothered to deal with lease agreements. Once settled, he finds an unusual company in the form of a set of old videotapes that were left behind by the ex-tenant of the house. The tapes belonged to one Yasmeen, a small-town girl from Uttar Pradesh who upon her marriage shifted to Mumbai. The tapes are recorded in the form of “letters” to her brother Imraan. Arun is fascinated with the tapes and finds himself drawn to the world of Yasmeen, and as Yasmeen shares her experiences in Mumbai with Imraan, Arun too finds himself reconnecting with Mumbai. A digitized phantom of a small-town girl not only helps Arun to reconnect with the beauty of a city he had lost his love for, but it also reveals a Mumbai so romanticized by the innocence of Yasmeen that makes it nigh impossible for even the reclusive Arun to not experience it first-hand. The recluse is taken out of his self-proclaimed confinement, and the city beats for him. Again.

The second story revolves around Kiran’s second inspiration for the movie, which was to explore the possibilities of a love story between two people from two different social classes. Hence, we have Shai (Monica Dogra), an investment banker from New York, who is in Mumbai to work on a photography project on small-scale business practices in developing countries. She finds a guide in her dhobi Munna (Prateik, terrific!), who aspires to become an actor and who promises to take Shai around Mumbai only if she shot a “portfolio” for him. Unaware of how servants are “treated” in the city, Monica bestows the same level of respect and affection on Munna as she would on anyone else, which leads Munna to conclude that Shai harbors romantic feelings for him. Personally speaking, out of the two stories in the movie, I found Shai’s and Munna’s story to be far more endearing because not only does the story provide Kiran the chance to ask us questions about the fragility of the fabric that holds our society together, it also allows her to showcase two completely different facets of Mumbai through two very extreme characters. Shai makes the audience come face to face with a side of Mumbai that is unfazed by its underlying socio-economic problems. She is representative of a class of people that are perfectly capable of shuttling around cities as long as they are wrapped in loins of their usual luxury and comfort. And hence, in a way she belongs to a class of people that are representative of a lifestyle, but not a city. On the other hand, Munna is Mumbai. He knows that the pelting rain means a leaking roof back home, he knows that food is not just one plate, but a plate divided in four and most importantly, he understands that an unattainable aspiration is his only driving force. Deep inside he knows that it is but a beautiful dream, yet he still chooses to believe in it. He is Mumbai’s soul, and he carries its darkest secrets.

Even though the two strands of stories within Dhobi Ghat seem unrelated, what makes the movie so fascinating is the manner in which the two polarized themes seem to permeate between each other, as if separated by a perforated line. Hence, even though Arun’s and Yasmeen’s story is largely born out of Kiran’s desire to tell a story of a person rediscovering Mumbai, it is extremely hard to ignore the love story that grows between a small-town girl (Yasmeen) and the cosmopolitan city that she now finds herself in (Mumbai). She is completely smitten by an experience that is alien to her, and in this regard, her story is not much different from Munna’s – both live in a make believe world in which their love blindfolds them from the impending tragedy that awaits them. And likewise, Shai’s story is extremely akin to Arun’s – both find themselves on a path of discovery that is laid out for them by others. But at this point, as one begins to wonder about the underlying similarities between the two stories, Kiran might as well have asked her audience the question, “Did you expect it to be any other way? Isn’t that what a city does, take a dot, finds another one, and joins the invisible line in between?” Because Dhobi Ghat is essentially about the city, about Mumbai. It is a study of how a singular city can make way for lives that converge and diverge from a single point, without compromising on its stability and structure. Dhobi Ghat is Mumbai diaries; each page a fundamentally similar story penned by different authors.

Since the movie tells the story of a city, it becomes imperative for it to effectively capture its sights and sounds, the two elements that invariably define the essence of any city. Dhobi Ghat excels in both categories. The camera speaks volumes long after the din of dialogues has died down, and manages to evoke feelings of nostalgia, delight, surprise and sorrow. Just when one has been flooded with a rush of memories over a sight of a familiar landmark, the camera yanks us out of our fond recollections and surprises us by revealing a side of Mumbai known to a very few – a perfume maker diligently working on a skill that is soon becoming obsolete in today’s mechanized world, a rat killer on his night watch, scouring the garbage for his next kill, a street dotted with thousands of people, who somehow still manage to enjoy a meal or two as chaos ensues about them. The camera reveals, not just by positioning of its frame but mainly by its decision to stand by and linger, allowing the city to tell a story of its inhabitants at a pace it deems best. However, the technical aspects that really make the movie soar are its background score and sound design. A city that is characterized by the medley of its diverse sounds, from the hawkers’ cry to the sound of rain drops, from the crashing of the sea waves to the silence of the night, the background score punctuates the dialogues in such a way that it always makes the audience aware of the presence of the city. It is Kiran’s honest attempt (with the help of the ever-wonderful Gustavo Santaolalla) to let the audience know that her characters exist because of the city, and their actions are in ways more than one governed by the collective consciousness of the city they inhabit.

Dhobi Ghat, simply put, is an attempt to encapsulate the tangibility of Mumbai from different perspectives. It does not have a definitive plot, a well-defined story arc, or an intelligent spread of the quintessential three acts. The movie simply offers a montage of the city, and the characters in it serve their purpose of offering their different outlook on it, subsequently revealing the city’s many distinct faces – some familiar, some unknown and some definitely worth a second look. As for the movie, experience it, just like you would experience a city and rest assured, you won’t be disappointed.

watch online movie Turning 30

2011-02-13T21:07:00.000-08:00

Director: Alankrita Shrivastava
Producer: Prakash Jha
Banner: Prakash Jha Productiion Music Director – Sidharth Suhas
Lyricist: Kumaar, Prashant Pandey
Star Cast: Gul Panag, Purab Kholi Siddarth Makkar, Tillotama Shome, Jeneva Talwar, Anita Kanwar, Rahul Singh, Sameer Malhotra
Special Appearance: Ira Dubey
Renowned for producing political and serious dramas, producer-director Prakash Jha takes a different route this time with a young urban love story titled ‘Turning 30’. Being a women-oriented movie, the film marks the debut Director of Alankrita Shrivastava who has assisted Prakash Jha in various projects The film showcases the trial and tribulations that a woman faces in this male dominated society.
The fears and struggles faced by a single woman who is reaching 30th year is Naina Singh (Gul Panag), is making it big in her advertising career. She is fun loving, spunky, cheerful, independent, and, of course, single. She owns a quaint yet charming apartment, loves to party hard, and has a boyfriend whom she considers to be her life partner. All goes well until she is just days away from welcoming her 30th birthday. With this, begins her journey of discovering her true self. Jai (Purab Kohli), an intelligent and creative youngster, who is a heartthrob and desire of every single girl. But that’s not all. Rishabh (Sid Makkar) is an investment banker. Rishabh ditches Naina and re- enters Jai in the life of Naina. Will Naina take Jai back in her life or will she go back to Rishabh forms the crux of the story.
Alankrita Shrivastava as a debut director showcases ample of potentials. The story has been portrayed in a contemporary manner. Women having faced such problems will surely identify with it. A good start with a fresh attempt indeed.
The critically acclaimed ‘Dor’, actor Gul Panag looks glamorous, chick and yet natural. She has definitely put life into the character by making it alive. Purb Kholi indeed looked very cute and a sincere lover boy. Young girls will surely vouch to have a boy friend like him in real.
The cinematography and fast paced editing does deserve a pat on the back. The film has a strong message about how women reaching thirties feel. But a bit too much of thirties philosophy makes the film slightly drab.
All in all Turning 30 is a one time watch.

watch online movie Yamla Pagla Deewana

2011-02-13T21:01:00.000-08:00

Yamla Pagla Deewana Movie Review : Movie is a fulfilled tribute to the spirit of Bollywood which reconfirms that Indian cinema of yore can never be ‘lost’ and it should be ‘found’ periodically to give us a ‘feel good’ feeling in this troubled times.

Cast : Dharamendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol

Director : Samir Karnik

Producer : Samir Karnik, Nitin Manmohan

Producer Director Samir Karnik pays a ‘Deolastic’ tribute to Manmohan Desai, Prakash Mehra – the papas of wholesome entertaining musicals who gave us ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’, ‘Parvarish’, ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Dharam Veer’, ‘Yaadon Ki Baaraat’ etc.

YPD is a crazy fulfilled joyride where happily married Paramveer Singh (Sunny Deol) comes to India from Canada to look for his father, Dharam Singh (Dharmendra) and his brother Gajodhar Singh (Bobby Deol), who were separated from him during childhood.

Paramveer finds them earning their livelihood as con men in the ghats of Benaras. But before he can take them back with him he must resolve his kid brother’s complicated love story by tackling the girl’s (Kulraj Randhawa) tough brothers (Anupam Kher and co). This leads to joyful ride to sadda Punjab and the result is a total paisa vasool fun.

But how a cliché story makes it possible to provide the fireworks every now and then in the 2 hrs 30 minutes time span mostly during the second half.. Simple, Director Samir Karnik does a smart casting act which turns out to be just perfect to satisfy the appetite of entertainment hungry souls of Bollywood cinema.

He uses the qualities of the Deols and mixes with their superb chemistry which we did see in ‘Apne’ where everyone gives his best and the trio is thoroughly enjoyable.

Bobby in his mischievous roadside Romeo act is engaging. Big brother Sunny is highly entertaining in this ‘bhaiya’ act where in action he goes beyond his own set benchmark in his biggest hit ‘Gadar – Ek Prem Katha’, the climax where he blows everyone with his trademark yell is howlarious and in the scene when he gets drunk by drinking mugs of whiskey from a bucket can make any stone hearted laugh to the fullest. Having said this, however, the show stealer is undoubtedly the 75 year old Dharampaji who is still ‘garam’ on screen with his entertaining acts. The biggest compliment for Dharmendra is that he doesn’t look like a father on screen he looks like the elder brother of Sunny and Bobby and does an amazing job, his comic timings, dance moves are just fabulous.

The trio has a plenty for their fans over here. B-town new introduction Kulraj Randhawa is attractive, you can’t move your eyes when she is on screen and she has the potential to stay long as an actress.

The movie would not have been a joyride without the excellent support of its supporting cast especially Anupam Kher who is outstanding as the egoist NRI obsessed Sardar brother.

Johny Lever entertains, Nafisa Ali is up to mark, Sucheta Khanna is fabulous, Amit Mistry is fine, Mukul Dev is fantastic as the drunken jat. Himanshu Malik is fair,

Emma Brown Garrett as Sunny’s wife was endearing, people will love the part when she says Hindi especially the line ‘Arre mein loot gayi’. The kids are a delight and Ajay Devgn’s voiceover is appropriate.

The movie already has two, maybe three chartbusters – the title, “Tinku Jiya” and “Chamki” marking the comeback of Anu Malik.

The dialogues are nice and entertaining and the chemistry between the Deols is dazzling.

Lens work by Kabir Lal and Binod Pradhan is first rate, editing by Mukesh Thakur is crisp and production values are topnotch.

So what’s wrong… Well not much but still the writer should have concentrated more on the chemistry and Samir as the director should have followed the movie in the tone in which Ajay Devgn started his voiceover. First half is a bit laid back as the real action filled with all the masala happens during the second half.

All said and done, ‘Yamla Pagla Deewana’ is fun filled Bollywood road trip that’s shoots all the right targets on its way and will become a winner, the flawless casting, the high entertainment quotient designed for the masses and catchy score will push its prospects at the B.O. Later the emotional connect established with a feel good heart will make it reach to a broader audience. It’s a sure shot winner anywhere where ‘Bollywood is watched, seen or heard.

watch online movie vikalp

2011-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

The online world has become humungous today. Right from shopping, to networking, to banking, everything can be done through the internet today. But this also has a flipside of security threats. Hacking has become a menace with numerous cases being reported. VIKALP, a film which is about hackers, comes at an opportune time when hacking is at an all time high!

It traces the story of Rishika Gandhi (Deepal Shaw), a middle class girl from Maharashtra who has immense computer knowledge. She leaves her job in a Mumbai based IT company after being ridiculed by her boss over a technical goof up. Even her boyfriend breaks up with her after his family objects to their relationship. Feeling flustered, she leaves Mumbai and takes up a job offer in a Bangkok based software company. All’s hunky dory at what seems to be her dream job. It’s only after a few months that she realises she has been trapped and made to do criminal activities in the garb of a software developer. Will she be able to find her way out? Or is it too late? This is what forms the rest of this thriller.

Although it’s based on hacking, there’s nothing which is too difficult to understand. Director Sachin P. Karande takes his own sweet time to develop the plot. You are waiting for something to happen right till the end of the first half. It’s post the interval that the film gains a bit of momentum. The numerous ingenious twists, take the film forward. But they aren’t enough to make it a taut thriller. Most of the characters have dubious traits; so when their actual intentions are revealed, they don’t have the desired impact. The climax is too convincing to grasp and the film ends on a rather abrupt note.

Deepal Shaw plays her part well. But she does ham in some portions. Her bhad me jao monologue, turns out to be more ludicrous than serious. Late Nirmal Pandey is passable as the police officer. Chetan Pandit is decent. Abhijeet Lehri is fine in his small role. Pankaj Berry doesn’t have much scope.

VIKALP has some exhilarating moments but they aren’t enough to hold the feeble script together. It turns out to be just an average fair in the end, with you screaming what the ‘hack’!

Cast & Crew:

Director: Sachin Karande

Music: Dev Sikhdar and Vijay Narayan

Lyrics: Kukku Prabhas and Dev Sikhdar

Starring: Deepal Shaw, Akshay Singh, Kranti Prakash Jha, Aloknath, Chetan Pandit, Nirmal Pandey, Onkar Shinde, Abhijeet Lahir, Pankaj Beri, Jyoti Joshi & Abhay Joshi

watch online movie no one killed jessica

2011-02-13T19:54:00.000-08:00

No One Killed Jessica is Bollywood's first movie release in 2011. The movie starring Rani Mukherji and Vidya Balan in the lead has justified the hype surrounding Rajkumar Gupta's film based on a true crime story that rocked the nation 11 years ago. Here's what Taran Adarsh has to say about the movie: "Most storytellers entertain, a few enlighten. A scattering number of celluloid visionaries entertain as well as enlighten. Rajkumar Gupta fits into that exceptional variety of film-makers that opens up thought-processes about the condition of the homeland without losing the cinematic elements that constitute a film.
To reconstruct on celluloid a true occurrence that is oven fresh in public reminiscence is not a trouble-free mission, but Gupta takes up this colossal challenge of placing together the controversial and litigious story of Jessica Lall’s murder case on celluloid. However, having sensitive and explosive material on hand is not enough. The execution of the subject is of paramount importance. Fortunately, the one-film-old director interprets the events of the murder case in remarkable style and form and makes it a cinematic experience that haunts you even after the film has concluded. Gupta does complete justice to the spirit of the story, which had created headlines and still remains well etched in our memory to this day.
A few monsoons ago, Rajkumar Santoshi’s HALLA BOL commenced with a shootout sequence at a party. Of course, HALLA BOL wasn’t about this incident alone, it was just a tiny segment in the narrative. NO ONE KILLED JESSICA focuses on this true-life incident [with no deviations] and its strength lies in the fact that it sucks you into the world of dirty politics and power games as soon as it unfolds.
NO ONE KILLED JESSICA is not Gupta’s first and foremost endeavor at illustrating a real incident that shook the nation. Even in his directorial debut AAMIR, Gupta depicted a common man’s [Rajeev Khandelwal] hard try at combating terrorism and violence. However, that was a work of fiction. But NO ONE KILLED JESSICA is a different ballgame altogether because reams of paper and hours of television footage have been devoted to this case. Thankfully, Gupta makes it an engaging thriller rather than relying on the docu-drama format.
NO ONE KILLED JESSICA belongs to the unique hard-hitting, gut-wrenching genre of cinema. Script-wise, the director has tried to remain faithful to the episode that occurred during that fateful night and also what transpired subsequently, but besides depicting reality on celluloid, he adds the thrill element to the plotline, which makes it very viewer-friendly. The events have been chronologically put forth and the daring story of two women who challenged the system hits you like a ton of bricks. The film truly celebrates the human spirit and also reflects a vital change in the society and in the attitudes of people.
Final word? This gutsy film deserves a standing ovation!
New Delhi, 1999. The guns at Kargil are still blazing when another one goes off, this time in the nation’s capital. Jessica [Myra], a young attractive model, trying her hand at bartending, is shot dead at a celebrity party. Her crime – refusing to serve a drink after closing hours. The culprit Manish [Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub], son of a prominent politician, inebriated by a deadly cocktail of alcohol and a sense of entitlement, pulls the trigger in a fit of rage.
With 300 of Delhi’s swish set present at the party, many of whom are witnesses to the murder, Manish looks all set to go to the gallows. Except that it doesn’t quite turn out that way. But two women, Jessica’s sister Sabrina [Vidya Balan] and the feisty TV reporter Meera [Rani Mukerji], decide to outwit Manish and his politician-father [Shireesh Sharma] at their game. Over the course of seven years, the case goes through several stages of legal complications. Witnesses turn hostile one after another and the few who don’t, became inconsistent with their versions.
Manish is acquitted, leading to a fierce public uproar and a relentless campaign by the media, which eventually leads to a life sentence for Manish.
A film like NO ONE KILLED JESSICA pricks your conscience and makes you think. In fact, it’s the kind of film that will lead to debates and discussions. What was more appalling – the model’s slaying or the slapdash method in which the suspected assassins were brought to justice? What’s even more scandalous is that almost immediately after the killing, the police identified the slaughterer and it seemed like an open-and-shut case. But it wasn’t.
Gupta deserves kudos for choosing a thorny and contentious story to interpret on celluloid, but he deserves a few extra brownie points for handling the material with aplomb. His prowess and competence is visible all through the film, but more specifically in the electrifying courtroom sequences and also when Rani decides to take up this issue. The candle light protest at India Gate in particular is simply overwhelming.
Since it is based on a real story that occurred in Delhi, Gupta has shot the entire film in the city. The characters are real and so are the locations and that’s what makes the goings-on very identifiable, besides bestowing an authentic feel to the film. Like his earlier film AAMIR, NO ONE KILLED JESSICA has been shot in guerrilla style and that makes the viewer feel that he’s actually watching the drama unfold in front of his eyes, that he’s a spectator in the proceedings. Gupta also ensures that the two pivotal parts remain true to their respective characters.
Any shortcoming? Yes, if Gupta would’ve trimmed the film by at least 10 minutes, the impact would’ve been much stronger.
A hard-hitting drama, generally, doesn’t have scope for music. But Amit Trivedi joins hands with Amitabh Bhattacharya, the wordsmith with whom he delivered the fabulous soundtrack of DEV D, and together they deliver a solid soundtrack. ‘Dilli Dilli’ has already won hearts of audiences and the remaining songs too leave an impact. Anay Goswami’s cinematography is first-rate. Dialogue, also penned by Gupta, are realistic to the core.
Gupta may be young and relatively new to the fray, but that does not deter him from getting the best and most appropriate cast for his second outing and I am sure, it’s only thanks to a potent and persuasive script. Vidya has been basking in the glory of films like PAA and ISHQIYA lately, which gave her ample opportunity to prove her dexterity. She gets a wonderful opportunity to prove her prowess yet again. Vidya plays the iconic Sabrina Lall brilliantly, reliving some very stressful and arduous chapters of Sabrina’s life. Balan is poignant yet controlled and projects an imposing figure of maturity, refinement and veracity. This film completes a hat-trick of her commendable performances.
In the role of a spirited and audacious journo, Rani, who smokes non-stop, flings swear words every now and then and who rebuffs being a voiceless spectator when the culprits go scot-free, is simply exceptional. She sinks her teeth into the character, giving it the much required pragmatism that it necessitates. Her performance is bound to be talked-about in days to come. In fact, it would be unfair if I do not acknowledge the fact that she appears very much at ease mouthing abusive words and lurid language.
Neil Bhoopalam, the key witness, is fantastic. Especially in the sequence when he comes for an audition of a film role and blurts out the truth unsuspectingly. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, the main accused, is very good. Myra, as Jessica, is natural. Rajesh Sharma, the investigating police officer, is excellent. Satyadeep Misra, as Rani’s boss, gives a fine account of himself. Shireesh Sharma, the politician-father, is perfect.
On the whole, NO ONE KILLED JESSICA is a poignant story of two women’s resolve for justice. It’s a remarkable blend of facts and fiction inspired by a series of real-life episodes, which has thankfully not been presented as a tedious biography or in a mind-numbing docu-drama format. It’s more of an engaging thriller which has the right doses of histrionics, tautness, anguish and thrills. The emotional and disturbing journey, the strength of the common man and the relentless endeavor of the media have all been most compellingly put together on moving picture. In times of yore, a lot of films have been attempted on real-life incidents, but haven’t struck a chord so effectively. NO ONE KILLED JESSICA should shatter this jinx. This heroic and daring film truly deserves a prolonged applause."

watch online movie Soch Lo

2011-02-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

Story - Soch Lo

The film takes off from the point where a wounded man is left to die in the desert. He survives the ordeal but loses his Identity. He then resorts to robbing solitary car drivers traversing on this highway. He becomes a Thug and finds an abandoned shed as his hideaway, where three troubled individuals Harry, Toto and Pali find him. They take him to their home in a nearby village and name him Baba, the beleaguered stowaway makes a deal with Harry that he will fight for his property seized by a local brute and in return Harry would help him find his real identity. When Harry is not of any help, Pali steps in.

Baba and sympathetic Pali embark on a very long journey to solve his mystery. Flashes of his wife, visions of being stabbed and then betrayed come rushing to his mind.

His relentless search leads to something more diabolic than his expectations.

Watch online movie Tees Maar khan

2011-02-12T07:03:00.000-08:00

If you thought MAIN HOON NA and OM SHANTI OM were smashing tributes to the wholesome entertainers of 1970s, Farah Khan’s brand new outing TEES MAAR KHAN will make the most absurd, bizarre and wacky cinema of yore pale in comparison. Not just your cell phone, even your brain needs to be put on ‘switched off’ mode at the commencement of this film. Farah’s fundas are very clear: Ask no questions and abandon all faith in logic, reason and rationale. Only then can you relish TEES MAAR KHAN.

Knowing Farah and her love and obsession for masala films of yore, it’s foolhardy to expect thought provoking cinema from her. TEES MAAR KHAN belongs to the hardcore masala variety, which was savored with glee by the hoi polloi then and which continues to be hugely popular at single screens to this day. But unlike her past endeavours, Farah looks at the West for inspiration this time around.

Only once in a blue moon is such a great criminal born who is fearless as well as shameless! Now is the blue moon and the great criminal is TEES MAAR KHAN. He steals, cons and cheats all with such alarming audacity that even shame shies away from him! He and his gang comprising of Dollar, Soda and Burger have managed to keep the police, world over, on their toes.

Then one fine day international antique smugglers, the Johri Brothers, assign Tees Maar Khan the BIGGEST CON JOB OF HIS LIFE! He must rob antiques worth 500 crore rupees from a heavily guarded MOVING TRAIN! Will Khan and his merry gang, with some unwitting support from his wannabe-actress girlfriend, Anya, and a greedy Bollywood superstar be able to pull off the greatest heist in history?

watch online movie Life Express

2011-02-12T06:58:00.000-08:00

The concept of ‘Life Express’ has been tried many times in Bollywood. There is no any harm to repeat an old theorem in a new way but it should be executed properly. The concept of ‘Surrogate Mother’ has been put into celluloid many times but ‘Life Express’ fails drastically due to poor execution. It falls in the line of ‘Chori Chori Chupke Chupke’ and ‘Chori Chori…’ itself was inspired from an old Hindi film ‘Doosri Dulhan’. Its like a old wine in a new bottle.

Audience love to see a film inspired from the other but it should be properly executed, made interesting and may not have the feeling that they are watching an uninteresting movie. ‘Life Express’ is a very poor film, poorly executed and there is no any peak point or thrilling moments. What actually the filmmaker is trying to convey through the film is not yet known. Two families of constructing status are shown in the film. One is rich, career comes first for them and the other is poor, despite living below poverty line, they believe in living together and give priority to family.

It’s a story about urban society couple Tanvi [Rituparna Sengupta], Nikhil [Kiran Janjani] and rural couple Gauri (Divya Dutta), Mohan (Yashpal Sharma). Tanvi and Nikhil are both working personnel. Tanvi does not want to conceive as she feels that pregnancy will be a barrier in her progress as she wants to continue her work without any break to prosper but pregnancy means keeping away from work for few months. Nikhil and Tanvi decided to hire a womb so that Tanvi can carry on with her work without any break and they also get their own child.

Gauri who is living hand to mouth with her husband Mohan has decided to give her womb on rent for money. She accepted to become a surrogate mother. What happens next after Gauri gives her womb on rent forms the rest of the story.

Many problem lies with ‘Life Express’. The story cannot justify the title. Anup Das’s story could not touch the chord of the heart. Mandira Chakraborty and Shailendra Tyagi’s screenplay is also weak. The film could not bring out the emotions in a proper manner. The film was not moving forward and it looks like repetitive. Dialogues by Chakraborty and Tyagi are also not touchy.

Speaking about performances, Rituparna Sengupta acts well. Kiran Jhanjani was average. Divya Dutta was the best among all. Yashpal Sharma also performed well. Alok Nath, Nandita Puri, Vijayendra Ghatge, Dayashanker Pandey and Anjan Shrivastav all were fine.

In the nutshell, ‘Life Express’ fail to impress its audience. The story sounds same for the audience. Not convincing at all.

watch online movie payback

2011-02-12T05:49:00.000-08:00

PayBack Story:-

Kunal sitting on sea shore alone, thinking of his past. He is simple,peace loving man .He is in love with Ishita ,an independent girl inher 20’s , working as interior designer .Kunal & Ishita always meetnear sea shore and see their future dreams .One night kunal meets with an fatal accident .When he lies in the pool of blood ,no one
cares to take him to the hospital . Suddenly Raghu takes him to the hospital. Kunal is in critical condition .Somehow doctor saves Kunal’s life .

Doctor says Raghu timely admitted Kunal in hospital otherwise it was very difficult to save his life. For Kunal Raghu is an angel .He tries to find out Raghu but he disappears in thin air. Three months pass, Kunal recovers from injuries. Suddenly one day Kunal meets Raghu near his building. Kunal gets very happy to see him,
invites him to his house and offers him tea and tells him you saved my life, I will be highly obliged to help you any time. Next night Raghu appears at Kunal’s door step with the bullet shot in the shoulder,
Kunal impulsively decides to help him. But as hours goes Kunal comes to know that savior of him is actually assassin.

Now he is in dilemma,for him crime is miles away, he is very God fearing man.Now he comes to know Rahgu will not leave him alive because, he knows all about Raghu, he will not leave Ishita because now Ishita also
knows all about Raghu .What Kunal will do? Will he call police? Then what about his debt? Raghu is his savior, and if is leaving Raghu, Ishita will leave him because he is leaving assassin free.He is in real dilemma! But he should not forget that he has debt of society also, by leaving Raghu free, he would do more crime.
Decision is delicate. Rest of the story makes the film what Kunal will do? Does he do favor and get free from debt? Or he would call police and live with Ishita happily?

Watch online movie mumbai to india

2011-02-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

Movie Review: 332Mumbai to India

Producer: Sangeth Sivan.

Director Mahesh Pandey, Music: Shamir Tandon,

Cast: Ali Asgar, Chetan Pandit, Sharbani Mukherjee, Vijay Mishra, Mayank Sharma

The Hindi film industry has suddenly turned to realistic cinema to depict the gory details of some of the most horrific events that have taken place in various parts of India. Thus after a film on 26/11,we now have a film based on the incidents that were based on the differences between the North Indians and the Mumbaikars that took place in Mumbai some time earlier this year.

The film 332 Mumbai to India deals with such real life incidents that took place while this sentiment of differences between the North Indians and the Mumbaikars taking place was in full swing.

Thus the film has Rahul Raj a young guy who hi jacks a bus with the no.332. The bus was scheduled to travel from Andheri to Kurla and was full of passengers from various walks of life, as is always the case with any bus.

However the story revolves around the lives of the people who are stuck in the bus. There is an auto rickshaw driver, a couple, a few students and a writer.

The movie does have some very gory details and meaningful dialogues, but some of the bold and original ones have been beeped which spoils the total impact of the movie. The world of realism is yet alive with the characters playing their parts quite convincingly but there is still room for more.

The overall effect of the movie comes across as quite a narrative with the plots getting quite muddled up. The problems faced by the North Indians and the sentiments that were hurt does come across with some impact on the audiences mind. So if you're in the mood for some reality dose then this one is for you.

Watch online movie Mirch

2011-02-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

Director Vinay Shukla forays into the world of adulterous women defining their sexualities in 4 witty individualistic stories and a fifth one connecting them all and is not that bad an effort.

These stories are nothing short of eroticism and are also dealing with gender equality in a relationship but the film falls short of expectations in the end.

Countless number of films has dealt with adultery and the men cheating on their wives have been caught red handed only to come back to their faithful wives in the end or otherwise too but Mirch has women dabbling into adulterous activities without getting caught.

The lover and them go scot-free even when the truth comes out in the open. So the audiences need to be mature enough to handle it all.

The erotic scenes do not go to the point of vulgarity and the issues dealt with are that of women emancipation. There is no doubt the subject is serious but the elements of fun and comedy also make it a sex comedy with the female libido becomes the subject of discussion and main poit of focus in a humorous way.

In the director’s words it’s a “celebration of womanhood” and the screen treatment of female sexuality makes it a thoughtful point. The audience gets a different perspective to it and the promos were enough proof of the theme of the movie.

The promos came as a surprise with some eye-popping lovemaking scenes and the movie certainly doesn’t disappoint in the first two stories though second two are not that interesting.

Maanav [Arunoday Singh] a scriptwriter suggests a Panchatantra tale of an adulterous female(Raima) who get saved even when she’s caught red-handed with her lover to the Producer Nitin [Sushant Singh introduced by Konkona Sen Sharma and then he creates three more tales on the theme to weave them together.

Iila Arun, Shahana and Kokona are just stupendous with Raima scoring for her expressive eyes. Effortless work by the male actors Prem Chopra, Rajpal Yadav, Shreyas Talpade and not to forget Arunoday Singh is also commendable.

Serious issues of gender equality treated with humor and sensibility scores over the fact that the movie disappoints and falls short of expectations and has no scope for music with ‘Badra’ being the best among the tracks.

Watch online movie Kaalo

2011-02-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Kaalo

latest Kaalo review

Story - Kaalo

Hundreds of years ago witchery/witchcraft was practiced heavily in Europe, Africa and Asia. It has been found that between 11th and 19th century as many as 9 million (90 lac) women, suspected witches with supernatural powers, were mercilessly killed in these regions. In India, eastern and northern India had witnessed many incidents of witchcrafts and witch-hunts. Every such incident had a story. Kaalo’s story is inspired by one such folktale about a Witch named Kaalo.

Kaalo was a witch who lived in Kulbhata during the 18th century. She was killed and buried by angry villagers for sacrificing young nubile girls to satisfy her greed for immortality, but her fear lived on. Years later villagers spoke of Kaalo’s sightings yet again. They claimed she was even more angry and dangerous.. And she was back to finish what she left incomplete.. Kulbhata was vacated overnight by scared villagers.

All roads leading to Kulbhata were sealed by horrifying tales of Kaalo killing anyone who dared to enter Kulbhata… Until a bus carrying eleven passengers on its way to Kuldevi had to pass through Kulbhata.

One of the passengers on the bus was a twelve-year-old girl named Shona (played by Swini Khara of Cheeni Kum) who was traveling alone to spend her vacation at her grandmother’s house in the neighboring village.

Shona was clever, witty and cheerful. She soon became the life of the journey. Everyone loved her endearing manners. Especially the reclusive and reticent Sameer, who was traveling with a bag loaded with gun powder to blast a small hillock which would give way to a water canal for his drought hit village.

Badly disfigured and thirsty for blood, Kaalo could smell the girl from miles away… and headed straight for the bus…

She would kill everyone who came in her way… She had to have the girl anyhow…

When the passengers realized they were staring into death everything changed… From being the life of the journey, Shona became their very reason for dying..

Everyone wanted her out of the bus… Some even used her as a bait to lure Kaalo away from themselves… Human relations changed as people fought for their survival…

One man stood up for Shona…

For Sameer it didn’t matter if Kaalo was a creature or a witch…

All he knew was that he has to protect Shona…. And time was running out!

Watch online Movie Life Goes On

2011-02-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

Movie Preview: Life Goes On

Banner: Sangeeta Pictures

Director: Sangeeta Datta

Star Cast: Soha Ali Khan, Girish Karnad, Sharmila Tagore, Om Puri

Preview: Real life daughter and mother - Soha Ali Khan and Sharmila Tagore– are together in the movie called Life Goes On. The movie is based on the psychological after-effect of partition of India on various individuals .Many Indians who left their riches in Pakistan ,suffered the partition trauma and they find it difficult to forget the incident.

The movie is about a family in U.K. The father Sanjay is from Indian origin and his wife is Manju, and he has three young daughters .One day suddenly the mother of the three daughters dies. The youngest daughter is in love with a Muslim boy and the father who tries to get close to the three daughters, find it shocking. The story starts from day one to the five days of funerals.

Sanjay remembers all his past and as he tries to get close to the daughters, he is shocked to find that the youngest Dia has a Muslim boyfriend. He gets confused and angry and he goes out in streets for a night .He remembers his past .The incidents of 7/7 and Iraq war is shown in the movie.

He is tired and watches the sun rise as he is sitting on the bench at Hampstead Heath and he forgets all the past and at the funerals he allows the Muslim boy to join the rituals in the family.

The film shows Sanjay and Dia in the contours of Shakespeare’s King Lear and cordelia.

Watch Online Band Baaja Baarat Movie Review

2011-02-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

Movie Name : Band Baaja Baaraat
Release Date : 10-Dec-2010
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Manmeet Singh
Director :Maneesh Sharma
Producer : Aditya Chopra

The new movie Band Baaja Baarat starring Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Manmeet Singh is a social drama movie.The movie is directed by Maneesh sharama and Produced By Aditya Chopra.This is story of two wedding planners Shruti played by Anushka Sharma and Bitto played by Ranveer Singh.The new on-screen couple is looking beautiful and has a charm in their acting in the movie.

Ranveer singh as a bitto played a role of a guy who is innocent and duffer in the matter of love and heart, and belongs to a small town.He is a good hearted guy, and likes to eat a lot.He is a guy who doesn’t know how to pronounce business but is perfectly smart when it comes to actually running the business.

In the first half both bitto and shruti is busy in their business of wedding. Shruit is a ambitious girl and want to organized multi-corer Sainik Farms weddings.
In the second half there is lot of drama and fighting, item number for the audience.The movie is entertaining and you will definitely enjoy when you will watch this movie.

No Problem Movie Review & Rating. Free Download No Problem Movie Songs & Trailers

2011-02-10T01:23:00.000-08:00

No Problem The film’s comedy flick that revolves around three characters Yash (Sanjay Dutt), Raj (Akshay Khanna) and Inspector Arjun Singh (Anil Kapoor). In Durban, Yash (Sanjay Dutt) and his best friend Raj (Akshay Khanna) are two small time thieves, the former want to start over with an honest life and the latter wants to continue living life as a thief with his plans always Raj’s plans. Yash rob a bank, but that also suspicions on their neighbors and bank manager Zandulal (Paresh Rawal), that he robbed the bank.

Also in Durban, the Inspector Arjun Singh (Anil Kapoor) a quack cop who is always on his wife Kajal’s (Sushmita Sen) hit list. Kajal is the daughter of police commission (Shakti Kapoor), and has developed a severe case of multiple personality disorder, mainly due to discover that her husband is a zero, not a hero. Arjun is chasing after the Marcos (Suniel Shetty), who’s gang robbed diamonds worth millions of the dollars, Raj falls in love with the Kajal’s younger sister Sanjana (Kangana Ranaut), and soon a madcap chase follows, forming the crux of this comedy.

Watch Online Movie Golmaal 3

2010-12-04T05:23:00.000-08:00

By Satyen K. Bordoloi

Cast: Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Mithun Chakraborty, Kunal Khemu, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Johny Lever, Ratna Pathak-Shah

Director: Rohit Shetty

Rating: ***

It is touted as the first trilogy of Indian cinema. It's about time that the distant cousin of Hollywood had one. Yet, what's important is that Bollywood did not need to have trilogies as one hit film has the habit of spawning a whole generation of films that look and feel like the original. "Golmaal 3" also suffers from that syndrome. Thankfully, it only feels like its previous avatars.

Despite retaining most characters from its previous outings, "Golmaal 3" enters a hitherto uncharted territory. Madhav (Warsi), Laxman (Khemu) and Lucky (Kapoor) are the three scheming sons of Pritam (Mithun) who manage to lure Vasooli (Mukesh Tiwari) into one scheme after another.

However, as luck would have it, in everything they start, they find competition from three other down-on-their-luck kids Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Laxman (Shreyas Talapade) and Dabbu (Kareena Kapoor) with funding from Puppy bhai (Johnny Lever). Gopal and Laxman are the sons of Geeta (Ratna Pathak Shah).

Inevitably, locking horns they end up destroying each others businesses. What the two groups don't know is that their parents are unrequited ex-lovers.

When Dabbu finds out she schemes and unites the two lovers in a marriage without letting their children know about their step-brothers.

All hell breaks loose when they finally find out and a hilarious war engulfs between the two groups right under their parents noses.

Like its predecessors "Golmaal 3" has enough laughs going through the film to keep the momentum.

Johnny Lever as the Ghajini-style forgetful don who adopts a new filmy avatar every few minutes has the audience in splits.

The few spoofs of old Hindi films, full of camera pans and quick zooms, will nostalgically tickle the funny bone. The twists of various popular phrases and known adages, raises more than a chuckle.

Mithun gets to do his "Disco Dancer" once again. Theatre veteran Ratna Pathak-Shah waltzes through the film with aplomb. Arshad Warsi is his usual tapori self while Shreyas Talapade and Kunal Khemu do a good job.

It is however the beefed up Tushar Kapoor who seems to be trying too hard, and despite raising giggles, fails to arouse laughter. In the first part he, looking the most vulnerable, was the funniest of the lot.

Director Rohit Shetty tries his best in merging comic vignettes into one comprehensible film. However, had it not been for the funny dialogues, his lack of directorial verve would have shone out.

He is spared the fate by some ingenious dialogue writing by Robin Bhatt ("Aashiqui", "Sadak", "Baazigar") and Yunus Sajawal.

Now that Bollywood finally has a trilogy, will it please also make one that also has some real standing in the world of cinema?

Watch Online Movie Anjaana Anjaani

2010-12-04T05:22:00.001-08:00

Director: Sidharth Anand

Producer: Sajid Nadiadwala

Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Ranbir Kapoor, Zayed Khan

Stars: ***

The challenge that film walas set themselves in today’s day and age is to create new parameters and break all the rules of traditional Bollywood film-making. And while they experiment, the audiences are served with a fine smorgasbord of feisty films to titillate their palette.

The experiment that director, Siddharth Anand, has tried in Anjaana Anjaani, is to use just two major characters in the entire film - Ranbir Kapoor (Akash) and Priyanka Chopra (Kiara). Both these gorgeous young people have been beaten by life and decide to end it all by jumping off the New York Bridge.

Of course they don’t finally do anything of the sort but make a decision to spend twenty days of their lives doing “things they have always wanted to” (now haven’t we heard that in a billion Hollywood films? The Bucket List leaps to the mind)

While fundamentally the script does have only two characters interacting with one another, changing each other and impacting each other’s lives, but there are a host of peripheral characters that make their appearance, sometimes to take the story forward, sometimes to provide the background of the characters of Akash and Kiara.

Akash, an investment banker feels that he is a failure because he took huge business risks thereby sinking the business and his partners as well. Kiara, on the other hand, has had a failed relationship with a lifelong partner.

Fed up, they both decide to commit suicide by jumping off a bridge. However, both land up on the same bridge at the same time.

Anjaana Anjaani, is a fun film but it tries too hard. After the interesting start, it falls into the rut of the couple hitting the road, having a great time and falling in love with each other, and then (surprise!) deciding not to commit suicide.

Yes, they strengthen each other in many ways, more so by helping each other to get in touch with their deepest desires and fears, thus while exploring the other, and they also come face to face with a few things about themselves.

Ranbir Kapoor is spectacular but one can’t say the same about Priyanka, who seems to be showing the pressure to perform. Basically, there’s an overdose of cuteness by Piggy Chops, which can get a bit over the top sometimes.

The movie seems to be the college goer’s delight, and aimed at that class, since the lifestyle that every yuppy would aspire for is all there.

Though how, when Kiara is out of a job and Akash, bankrupt, can the couple afford their trips to Las Vegas and boating trips in the Atlantic, is anyone’s guess.

But these are a few minor glitches and you aren’t supposed to ask these questions anyway. You are expected to just sit doing ‘awww…’ at the cute couple; wishing you were there when they get drunk on beer, go party hopping, gamble at the casino, go to all night parties and what have you. Basically, though the surmise is different, there’s really no meat on the bones of the film.

The whole suicide bid scene by the couple, which by the way, carries on for pretty long, as they make one failed attempt after another, is just not serious enough. After all, it’s pretty serious to want to kill yourself, right? You have to be pretty sad to want to do it, right? So what are all the fun and games about? But that’s just another question you are not supposed to ask.

Siddharth Anand has handled the movie with style. He’s aimed at the young city Indian and I’d say a lot of sweet young things are going to love this film.

The look and feel is slick and stylish, with lots of trendy locales and situations.

Both the protagonists look very hot, (though now that we are on the topic, about it, what has Priyanka done to her lips? There’s a permanent pout there.) Ranbir does an uber hot, bare chested, muscled appearance; he also does a pole dance, in a gay bar, where he strips with abandon.

In fact, judging by the number of gay jokes and the fact that he’s lusted after by so many gays in the film, it appears that the attempt is to make Ranbir a pin up boys for the gays as well as the girls!

The end is predictable and falls into the rut of the love stories. The dilemmas are resolved, both Kiara and Akash decide to face their demons and go their separate ways.

Finally they realize that they cannot do without each other (of course the realization comes during a long and tedious song sequence). Then comes…what else?...the chase to the airport, the race to the meeting spot, and voila! The lovers unite, and the audience goes, ‘sigh!’

Sweet! Nice music by Vishal Shekhar, great weekend watch for the younger lot!

Final word? Shall we just say that Anjaan Anjaani is Chicken Soup for the Romantic Urbanites Soul

Watch Online Movie Crook

2010-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

By Subhash K. Jha

Starring: Emran Hashmi, Neha Sharma, Arjan Bajwa

Directed by: Mohit Suri

Rating: **

Damn! Why didn't we think of sending the amazing super-hero Emran Hashmi to Australia before? Emran Saab's solution to global malevolence as provided in this disappointing mismash of masala and headlines is simple enough.

It's good to be bad. So says the smooth-sayer. Fair enough. If only the director had not decided to apply the motto to the treatment of this film.

At last our revenge on the Aussie attacks. This film is the ultimate comeuppance for the Australians… those so-and-sos who have been maltreating our hapless students who go to the firangi land to garner education and come back black and blue.

Blue is the colour that director Mohit Suri favours for his lurid leery look at gori babes in Melbourne. There's a gori chick and a brown chick for the Chick-let hero to chose from. He sleeps with the former and falls in love with the latter. As simple as that. Indian women are to revered. Foreigners are to be… you know!

In trying to do a ferocious flag-waving trick over the complex issue of racism and colour prejudice, "Crook" ends up making the Australian population look like a bunch of psychotic killers bashing and burning the good desi boys who have gone Under to gain gyan. Is this Australia or Chicago during the Prohibition?

But wait. Suddenly the script decides to tilt the imbalance. Now the goras are not that evil. It seems Indians too create an obstinate culture block when they go abroad. They just don't know how to blend.

Thoroughly confused in its politics, "Crook" is one of those films that attempts to combine conviction with entertainment and falls between the two stools in the absence of those tools that lend skilful curves and slants to the storytelling. The narrative is uneven lopsided and askew. The pace goes from sluggish to frantic within a few reels providing us with no space to observe the characters' motivations beyond a cursory glance.

Mohit Suri who revealed a substantial grip over his material and characters in "Kalyug" here seems undecided about where to take his plot. The people who populate the storytelling seem to start off on page 1 of the newspaper and then head towards the cartoon section.

Technical aspects, another strong aspect of Mahesh Bhatt's films, are on this occasion just about okay.

The performances miss the intensity of Bhatts' "Gangster" and "Kalyug" by a wide margin. But Neha Sharma makes an expressive Hindi-cinema debut.

As for our super-hero … Move over, Rajnikanth. Emran Hashmi is more robotic in his expressions than you can ever be.

Watch Online Movie Aakrosh

2010-12-04T05:18:00.000-08:00

By Satyen K. Bordoloi

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Akshaye Khanna, Paresh Rawal, Bipasha Basu

Directed by: Priyadarshan

Rating: ***1/2

Caste based atrocity is one of the worst, chronic and a few millennia old injustice of the world. Yet its continuing prevalence, especially in India, is one of its best kept open-secrets. India's vibrant cinema has paid scant attention to it. The commercial venture "Aakrosh" comes as a late but welcome populist attempt to correct this gross neglect.

After three Delhi medical students disappear from a village in Bihar, two CBI officials Sidhant (Akshaye Khanna) and Pratap (Ajay Devgn) are sent for investigation. They encounter not just an inefficient police, but an openly antagonistic one. Their attempts to uncover the truth lays bare a Pandora's box of corruption, illicit power-play, ruthless casteism and murders and abductions to maintain the status quo.

When all official means fail to bring the guilty to book, the two committed men are left with no course but to resort to every alternate means possible to deliver justice in a failed state.

"Aakrosh" is loud and sometimes crass in typical Bollywood fashion and, as they say, its fiction. What it is not - is a lie. In its own way, it lays bare the power structures that obstruct justice and thus the true growth of India, all because of the corrupt collusion of the police, bureaucracy and politics that uphold age old casteism. The film thus uses a lie to tell the ugly truth of our society.

"Aakrosh" is also rife with analogies. The Batman and Robin team of Sidhant and Pratap is a team of an upper-class Brahmin and a lower-caste Dalit fighting for the same cause but in their own ways.

When the straightforward methods of the no-nonsense Brahmin fails, they have to resort to the street-smart ways of the Dalit to bring the guilty to book. This is perhaps a message to the subjugated masses of the country that justice has to be delivered at any cost, and it is the oppressed that have to use any means available to do so.

There are factual inconsistencies, like the brazen manner in which the local police insubordinates a CBI inquiry.

Akshaye Khanna is unconvincing while Ajay Devgn is believable as the quiet but angry ex-army major who has suffered the consequences of being a Dalit. Paresh Rawal, the master-key like actor who slides into any role, plays a slimy but smiling police officer with aplomb and epitomizes the rarely acknowledged truth, that in rural areas the police is not part of the solution, but is often the main problem.

Robin Bhatt and Akash Khurana's writing is crisp and direct. They spare the audience needless preaching, thus giving the message that it is time for some action and justice instead.

Sometimes you have to like a film just because its heart is in the right place, and because it dares to say something few have said before. "Aakrosh" is one such convincing film whose demerits are swept under the carpet of its boldness.

Of course, even a commercial venture like this cannot correct a few thousand years of injustice. But at least it can hold a mirror to the disgust in our society. Thankfully, if not gracefully enough, Aakrosh holds a correct and sturdy mirror.

Watch Online Movie Hisss

2010-12-04T05:16:00.000-08:00

Cast: Malika Sherawat, Divya Dutta, Priyanka Rawat, Irrfan Khan, Jeff Doucette

Director: Jennifer Lynch

Rating: ** 1/2

Mallika Sherawat has sizzled on screen again with her ‘naagin’ avatar in Hisss, which got released today both in India as well as in other counties. The movie is all about the usual revenge taking story of a female snake, played by the sexy Mallika. Her partner was taken away from her by an American scientist when they were in the most pleasant situation of mating.

Jeff Douchette plays the scientist, George States, who dares to enter this forbidden jungle in the Malabar Coast. Unable to gauge the result of his act, he takes to his hi-tech lab for conducting experiments on it.

He is unaware of the fact that the female counterpart of this python sized cobra is hunting for her partner and is in mood of taking revenge from the entire human civilization in the cities.

One will surely enjoy the transformation of a snake to a strikingly beautiful and attractive woman (Mallika Sherawat). Her desperate search for her lover makes her full of vengeance and she instantly becomes ready with her fangs to destroy any person coming her way.

Mallika has played the role of a snake woman very convincingly as she was seen kissing and licking her partner, the great cobra. She also shed the bare essentials she used to wear for the sake of turning a ‘naagin’.

Irrfan Khan in the role of a detective called Vikram Gupta keeps chasing this sexy killer ‘snake woman’ and he is in his usual form. We can’t term it to be an excellent performance.

A talented actress like Divya Dutta has nothing much to do in the film but she has enacted it sincerely.

Lots of special effects can be seen, which never have seen in Bollywood earlier. The later part of the film will reveal whether ‘naagin’ becomes successful in taking her revenge.

Even though lots of hype was created about the nude scenes of Mallika, there is nothing new or exciting to watch in the film. The new generation that has grown up listening to the ‘Ichchadhari naagin’ stories might just give a look at it but that may also go above their heads.

It’s just an effort to revive the ‘naagin’ stories, which have hardly any relevance in today’s life. Well, if you want to feel frightened by those sexy and angry lenses of Mallika then go ahead in this weekend for Hisss!

Watch online Movie Rakht Charitra

2010-12-04T05:14:00.000-08:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Vivek Oberoi, Shatrughan Sinha, Abhimanyu Singh, Radhika Apte, Zarina Wahab

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma

Rating: *** ½

Like exhilaration appreciation and charity, injustice has no bounds.

Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakht Charitra is arguably the most violent Indian film ever made. Humanbeings get their heads crushed in sugarcane grinders (this sequence comes long before Darshan Zariwala playing a contented cop, sucks benignly on a piece of sugarcane), heads are crushed with large boulders (easy enough, considering the film is shot on rugged rocky terrain) legs and hands are chopped off with sickles and hatchets…In brief, human life seems to be snuffed purely for anarchic purposes.

The violence in Varma’s new film could be considered overpowering in another context. Not here. Not this time.Violent tension is the crux and the core spirit of Rakht Charitra. You cannot take away the arms from the man, unless it’s one of those aforementioned limb-choppers at work again.Ouch.

Returning to a territory that Ramu knows by heart (if heart is the space you can mention in this film’s extra-aggressive context) the director has fashioned a bludgeoning homage to Coppola’s The Godfather. This is the Sicillian mafia transposed with frenetic fluency into the semi-rural Andhra milieu where the caste system fosters the most barbaric acts of violence that man has ever conceived.

Varma doesn’t flinch from the sight of unimitigated brutality. Often you wonder if the dark recesses of the subconscious that Varma manifests are actually the spaces that the director enjoys peering into. But then when you look closer into the eyes of his ravaged and ravaging characters, you see profound regret and fear barely dicernible to the naked eye.

As usual Varma’s cameraman (Amol Rathod) treats the masculine hinterland like a voyager walking through virgin territory with proprietorial arrogance. The semi-rural setting is captured in lazy greys and toasted browns. These are colours that are typical of Varma’s badland where marauders from the world of politics and crime rub shoulders.

The mayhem is disturbing in its majesty.Remarkably Varma avoids slow-motion slayings.The hardhitting impact of the killings comes from the normal tone and unadorned shot takings which signify a disturbance in the environment too deep to be dramatized and yet too fascinating to be ignored.

In one sequence while the villain Bukka (Abhimanyu Singh, outstanding) crushes a victim’s leg, Bukka’s mother casually leaves for a prayer meeting truning around to ask her son if he’d like to accompany her. Humour in unique-form?

Drama there is in plenty in the narrative. Taking Coppola to the Naxalite belt couldn’t be easy.Varma has earlier taken The Godfather to the underworld (in Company) and to the world of extra-constitutional politics (Sarkar). In fact many of the domestic scenes in Rakht Charitra with the ladies of the house cooking and serving meals impervious to the murderous discussions on the dining-table, remind you of Sarkar.

However the familiar tone and territory do not assume a lack of novelty in the narrative. Though Ramu walks the known path in Rakht Charitra he nonetheless infuses the drama with layers of virgin velocity.

The introduction of Shatrughan Sinha’s character as a wily star- politician who uses Pratap (Vivek Oberoi) to settle his own scores, comes at a very clever juncture in the plot when the narrative could lose momentum. Sinha’s imperious politician’s part is an act of bravura done as a sly homage to Andhra Pradesh’s immortal neta N T Rama Rao.

Besides Shatrughan Sinha, Zarina Wahab, Sushant Singh, Ashwini Kalsekar and the unknown actor Omkar who plays the Muslim casualty of Bukka’s barbarism are unforgettable in their expressions of elemental angst.

Some sequences such as the villain Bukka’s murder in a congested apartment in Hyderabad are done with such savage grace that you wonder if the director has entered the territory to savour its shock-value along with the audience. After Bukka is gunned down Pratap’s men leave the apartment turning around to throw a ball back at mute child.Innocence during the time of retribution?

The film’s all-too-familiar drama of doom and depravity is delineated with demoniacal passion.

While Vivek Oberoi turns in a restrained performance, aligned and aggrandized by a smouldering sense of injustice and vendetta, Abhimanyu Singh as his utterly depraved adversary turns in an amazing animalistic performance. In his savage bestial and psychotic affinity to self-gratification Abhimanyu Singh is the most terrifying villain seen in Hindi cinema.Take bow, Mr Brute.That’s quite a rousing performance there.

Men being yanked out of rickety busses in the middle of the wilderness as women watch helplessly…such are the nightmares on which a society founded on inequality renews its licence to kill the human spirit.

Varma excels at conveying the despair of the damned. Not much room for tenderness here. But hang on. Varma weaves a sweet little love story between our outlawed hero Pratap and his college sweetheart (Radhika Apte, expressive and endearing). How he creates space for sensitivity in a canvas cluttered with brutal creatures, is a miracle.

Rakht Charitra enters a world of oppressive lawlessness. It chokes the very breath out of every definition of justice and benevolence and makes the comic violence of the badland in Dabangg look like a bad joke.

Yes, Ram Gopal Varma is back in ferocious form. Not much to rejoice here. The joy of watching a film on people on such a joyless journey into self-destruction is in picking those shards of broken glass out of our savagely mutilated social order.

And yes there’s the jot of watching Vivek Oberoi return to the intense form he had displayed in his debut performance in Varma’s Company.

Watch Movie Online Jhootha Hi Sahi

2010-12-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Starring: John Abraham, Pakhi, Raghu Ram, Manasi Scott, Anaitha Nair, Omar Khan, Alishka Varde, George Young, Prahsant Chawla, Madhavan, Nandana Sen

Director: Abbas Tyrewala

Rating: ***

Who says lying is bad? Watch Jhootha Hi Sahi and you will come to understand that lying will get you everywhere. In the twenty first century when everyone is desperately seeking their soul mate, lying is perhaps the best way to find that perfect someone for yourself.

After the phenomenal success of Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Abbas Tyrewala is back with his next romantic comedy about a simple guy who lies his way to love.

John Abraham plays the role of Siddharth aka (Sid) who runs a bookshop in London with his Pakistani friend Omar (played by Raghu Ram). In true Bollywood style the bookshop is called ‘Kagaz Ke Phool’. Sid is already in a committed relationship with Krutika (Manasi Scott), who controls all aspects of his life.

Accidentally, Sid’s phone number gets listed on a suicide helpline flier and he starts getting calls from unknown people attempting suicide. Being the good guy that our hero is, he starts counseling these lost souls.

One night Mishka (Pakhi) calls up the suicide helpline and Sid stops her from committing the act. The two become good friends and start having regular phone conversations every night.

One day Mishka comes to Sid’s bookshop, Sid recognizes her immediately but Mishka cannot. The duo start dating, John puts up a nice double act in this movie.

During day he dates Mishka as the stammering bespectacled geek while in the night he has phone conversations with her as a confident young man. The movie has the light and fresh feel of the Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan starrer ‘You’ve Got Mail’. Will Mishka forgive Sid when she finds out about his lies? You will have to find that out for yourself.

The film has strong ensemble cast that has put up some really good performances. John Abraham looks convincing in his guy-next-door appearance. Raghu Ram of the ‘MTV Roadies’ fame puts up a commendable act with his superb comic timing. The scenic beauty of London and its locales are used extensively to add to the fresh appeal of the film.

AR Rahman’s music does a bang-up job and stays in your mind long after you leave the movie hall. However the movie gets tad bit boring in the end thanks to its extended and over-the top climax. Overall Jhootha Hi Sahi is the perfect weekend rom -com to watch with your family and friends.

Watch Online Movie Guzaarish

2010-12-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Monikangana Dutta, Suhel Seth

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Rating: ****

Breathe a sigh of relief. During a year when cacophonic crassness masquerading as comic entertainment has been sanctioned by critics and the masses, "Guzaarish" comes along to remind us that excellence is alive in our cinema.

Ironically this wonderful work of art, nuanced and magical in its portrayal of an unstoppable spirit's quest to juice life to its fullest, is about dying. If the journey towards death in art can be so mystically explored, then let's embrace mortality as a stepping stone to immortality and a film about dying as a sign of cinema not dying on us. Not yet.

Only those who suffer the numbing pain of isolation would know what it feels like. Dilip Kumar in "Devdas", Guru Dutt in "Pyasa", Meena Kumari in "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" and Nutan in "Bandini" communicated to the audience the indescribable pain of solitude.

Ethan, as played by Hrithik Roshan in "Guzaarish", is so bemused by adversity that he can actually look at his own suffering with dispassionate humour.

"Guzaarish" is a joyous, rapturous and ecstatic celebration of life. Those familiar with the art of Sanjay Leela Bhansali know how ably and ecstatically he transports his characters into a universe of seamless drama played at an octave where most cinematic symphonies crack up and topple over into high-pitched extravagance.

Not Bhansali's cinema. Played at the highest possible scale, his drama unfolds in wave after wave of rapturous splendour. His characters occupy a space that defies definition and seduces audiences into celebrating a state of sublimity and splendour.

Ethan's inert physicality is alchemized into an ambience of animated joy. His spirit dances and sings at the sheer pleasure of every moment that is given to him to live. He radiates joy. We feel his profound happiness at the gift of life.

No film in living memory has brought out the sheer blessing of being alive with such spirit and glory. While Shah Rukh Khan's "Devdas" in Bhansali's opulent opera was a character broken in spirit, Hrithik's Ethan in "Guzaarish" is irreparably damaged in body. But his spirit soars, his eyes light up like thousands of stars every time Sophie walks in.

That Sophie is played by Aishwarya Rai is a stroke of genius that goes a long way in giving "Guzaarish" its flavour of exceptional elegance.

No other director brings out the quiet grace and the understated beauty of this screen diva's personality with as much intelligence and spontaneity as Bhansali. In "Guzaarish", Aishwarya is far more delicate and nuanced in conveying the unspoken pain of a love that has no tomorrow than she was in "Devdas".

Aishwarya imbues her role with a resplendent grace. Love in "Guzaarish" is expressed with subtle smirks, gentle smiles and hints of a smothered passion that could erupt any time, if only destiny didn't choose to be so mean to the spirited.

The scenes between Ethan and Sophie, the backbone of Ethan's spine-challenged life, radiate an inner beauty and wisdom and underline the director's enormous understanding of the self-negation that a love relationship requires.

"Guzaarish" is Bhansali's most tender and evocative film to date. It layers the pain of a dying body with the passion of an unstoppable spirit as manifested in Hrithik's skilled and effortless performance as a quadriplegic who pledges to make every moment of his limited "sau gram zindagi" pleasurable for himself an those around him.

Barring Amitabh Bachchan in "Black" there has never been a better performance in a Bhansali film than Hrithik's in "Guzaarish".

He grabs Ethan's role and makes the dying character come alive in delightful waves of provocative histrionics.

And if we're talking chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya, then let's get one thing clear - this ain't "Dhoom". It's something far deeper and satisfying.

The other performance that catches your attention is Aditya Roy Kapoor's. He is natural and vivacious and in-sync with the film's spirit of celebrating life. Monikangna Dutt is a looker. In her limited space, she lends some appeal to the proceedings.

Suhel Seth, Shernaaz Patel and Rajit Kapur also make a lingering impact in a film that you carry home with you in an inviolable place in your heart.

A word about Bhansali's music score. The songs communicate the rich tapestried emotions of lives that are determined to smile through an extraordinary tragedy. Every piece of music and song in "Guzaarish" echoes the film's incandescent soul.

The film's technical excellence, particularly Sudeep Chatterjee's cinematography, is not dazzling and flamboyant in the way it was in "Devdas".

In "Guzaarish", the appeal is far more delicate and subtle. The deep but sober colours on screen reach out to you to enrich your life in ways that cinema was always meant to, until it was waylaid by the hooligans and imposters posing as filmmakers.

"Guzaarish" is the real thing. A big, beautiful, dazzling emotional movie experience. You won't see a better film this year.

Watch Online Movie Allah Ke Banday

2010-12-04T05:06:00.000-08:00

Starring: Naseeruddin Shah, Sharman Joshi, Faruk Kabir

Written & Directed by Faruk Kabir

Rating: ***

A feeling of foreboding and damnation builds up in the narration from the first frame itself. Here’s a gloriously gutsy film exploring the underbelly of Mumbai through the lives of two slumkids who grow up in identical circumstances but with somewhat disparate values.

First-time director Faruk Kabir displays remarkable skill in creating a pastiche of mammoth crime and little punishment. The pace leaves meager space for grace. And yet Allah Ke Bande creates a world filled with acute aggression repression and damnation with a reasonable amount of paciness to the edgy narrative.

The world that Faruk Kabir’s characters inhabit is reminiscent of Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, Irrfan Kamal’s underrated Thanks, Maa, Mahesh Manjrekar’s City Of Gold and Chandan Arora’s Striker. Deriving its lingering study of juvenile delinquency from these sources Allah Ke Banday moves forward and acquires a life of its own.

The gripping narrative takes us through the world of petty crime and underage lawlessness non-judgementally. Faruk Kabir’s deeply-felt concern for children who dodder dangerously on the edge of society is never over-done. This is a hard and disturbing look-see at quicksand existence. The director creates a world of uncertainties with unwavering confidence.

The nervous anxiety of the characters is rather aptly replicated in the film’s rough and unvarnished look. Kabir’s cameraman Vishal Sinha goes through the rugged merciless slums searching for only Allah-knows what.

The actors wear their unwashed demeanour casually, so much so that at times we forget the existence of the camera. At the same time there are uneven sections in the narrative that mar what could otherwise have been a stand-out exposition on the genesis of social outcasts.

Sharman Joshi and Faruk Kabir play the two driving forces of the plot with a deep understanding of their characters and the milieu. Both seem to have got right their characters’ physicality and then proceeded to explore their inner worlds. For a first-time actor and director Faruk Kabir handles both his jobs with more than a reasonable amount of compelling confidence.

The others in the cast merge into the relentless mileu. As usual the extraordinarily brilliant Naseeruddin Shah is under-used. Whenever he shows up on screen an extra dimension is effortlessly added to the proceedings.

Notches above the run-of-the-mill entertainer Allah Ke Banday reveals a genuine concern for juvenile delinquency. The lives on the streets never looked more dangerous and less glamorous. This time crime is not glorified. Thank God for small mercies.

Watch Online Movie Break KE Baad

2010-12-04T05:04:00.000-08:00

By Satyen K. Bordoloi

Cast: Imran Khan, Deepika Padukone, Sharmila Tagore, Lillete Dubea, Shahana Goswami, Navin Nischol, Yudhistir Urs

Director: Danish Aslam

Rating: ** 1/2

Bollywood has a sub-genre of romantic-comedies meant for urban, chic teenagers, first pioneered with its full frontal glory by our very own coffee drinking Karan Johar.

These films, and the people that inhabit it, are nothing like you have ever known, or are ever likely to know. But the reality inside it is so glossy and Cinderellaesque that everyone aspires for this free floating, un-rooted, but super fun unreality.

"Break Ke Baad" is a fun example of that.

Aaliya (Deepika Padukone) and Abhay (Imran Khan) are childhood sweethearts whose sweet course of sugarcane love encounters the roadblock of youthful ambition. Aaliya, a fiercely independent, risk-taking person decides to go to Australia to pursue her acting ambition, thus breaking the relationship. Both make mistakes, but eventually discover themselves only to realize that it's not that easy to say 'talaq' to a love, that has now matured.

"Break Ke Baad" is the ultimate, teenage, escape, love fantasy of 2010, much like "Jaane Tu…" in 2008 and "Love Aaj Kal" in 2009, in whose magical world, almost everything happens coincidentally and all loose ends are tied up perfectly in the end and all that you see makes sense. But we know that such a mythical, unreality can exist only in Bollywood.

Yet, the film is good in its own sub-genre. The strongest part of the film is a well-baked script; tight, crisp and thankfully contemporary and often rooted dialogues of Renuka Kunzru, which are funny at times, and profound in a cliched way at others.

Yet the film will never make it to the annals of Bollywood greats. Neither does it have the cuteness of Aamir Khan's launch vehicle "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak", or the undertone of class struggle depicted with extreme melodrama in "Maine Pyaar Kiya", the overtone of struggle against tradition of "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" or the excessive sugar-pulp and totally nonexistent reality of "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (KKHH) - a film which this one pays hearty tributes to.

The conflict is mostly in the minds of the protagonist, and not real. Ironically its fault would perhaps be that it is not unreal enough like KKHH.

Though the characterizations, at least in the beginning and in a few side characters, has the smell (or stench if you consider the escapist drama) of reality, it flies off to KKHH land. At least the old films were caricatures, exaggerations of people you would have encountered somewhere. No such luck with "Break Ke Baad".

But it is fodder for teen fantasy, seeped in the dual confusion of maturing while finding true love. It's over two hour ride is fun, full time-pass and paisa vasool.

Movie Review Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Jee

2010-12-04T05:02:00.000-08:00

Cast: Ajay Devgn, Emran Hashmi, Omi Vaidya, Shruti Hasan, Shazahn Padamese, Shraddha Das

Director Madhur Bhandarkar

Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Jee is a movie, which as the title suggests, is about the essence of a human heart which almost always retains its child like quality. The heart is where life's entire essence is.

Thus to prove this point, director Madhur Bhandarkar has significantly dealt with the subject of love in a very humorous way.

The movie stars Ajay Devgn portraying the character of Naren, a middle aged manager of a multinational Bank. There he falls head over heels in love with a young girl barely out of her teens called June Pinto, played by Shazahn Padamese.

Omi Vaidya as Milind Kelkar is the typical idealistic poet living in his own transient world has a deep crush for a girl called Gungun Sarkar played by Shraddha Das. Gungun who is a very ambitious and career minded gal has a thing for the playboy Abhay played by Emran Hashmi.

Abhay or Emran is strongly attracted to a young and vibrant gal called Nikki, played by Shruti Hassan who is an out and out loud mouth. Nikki does not hesitate to call a spade a spade, a trait which is simply loved by the Casanova Abhay.

This entire gamut of affairs and secret liaisons creates a total chaos and as each event gets entangled with the other the movie becomes one big platform of drama and melodrama.

Madhur Bhandarkar, who is known for making realistic cinema, has put in the flavor of realism in this movie too, with the characters all very believable and something which a common man can relate to. The music has been scored by Pritam. The movie releases on the 28th of January 2011 so watch out for this one!

Download Free Songs Tees Maar Khan

2010-12-04T05:00:00.000-08:00

Music Directors: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani

Lyricists: Anvita Dutt, Vishal Dadlani and Shirish Kunder

Singers: Sonu Niigaam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Vishal Dadlani, Sukhwinder Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Suzanne Dmello, Shekhar Ravjiani, Kamal Khan, Raja Hasan, Prajakta Shukre, Harshit Saxena, Debojit Saha, and Abhijeet Sawant

Rating: ***1/2

If you thought that "Munni badnaam hui" from "Dabangg" will take the cake for being the most popular item number this year, then think again! The song "Sheila ki jawani" from the forthcoming film "Tees Maar Khan" is ready to give it a tough competition.

The film has music by composer duo Vishal-Shekhar and offers five originals and four remix tracks. All the songs from the album are fun, energetic and pacy.

The album starts with a bang with the energy-packed title track that is the only song written and composed by Shirish Kunder. The highlight of the song is singer Sonu Niigam has crooned it all by himself in many different voices including that of a woman. The song has all the ingredients of being a chartbuster with a change in tempo. With engaging beats and dialogues, the song gives a good start to the soundtrack.

The title track has a re-mixed version too.

Next comes "Sheila ki jawani" sung brilliantly by Sunidhi Chauhan by ample support from Vishal Dadlani. It is an instantly likeable song. The beats are very interesting that makes the listener get up and shake a leg. It's sure to be a favourite at the DJ consoles.

This one too has a re-mixed version.

The album takes a slight change with a qawwali, which has become a novelty in film albums nowadays. The song called 'Wallah re wallah', has Kamal Khan, Raja Hasan, Shreya Ghoshal and Shekhar Ravjiani behind the mike. The song has good beats, making it pacy and interesting.

There is a remix of this song too.

Then comes an average track titled "Badey dilwale", which is sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Ghoshal and additional voices by Suzanne Dmello, Vishal and Shekhar. It is also a fast-paced and high on beats song, but it fails to create the same impact like other songs in the album.

The remixed version too adds nothing extraordinary to the original.

Finally, there is "Happy ending" that has been sung by the participants of music reality shows. The singers include Prajakta Shukre, Harshit Saxena, Abhijeet sawant and Debojit Saha. It is quite an average song.

On the whole, the album is a must hear and a fun package of dance numbers that will keep the energy high.

Watch Online Movie Phas Gaye Re Obama

2010-12-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, Amol Gupte, Amit Sial, Sanjay Mishra, Manu Rishi among others

Director: Subhash Kapoor

Rating: ****

Bollywood has proved yet again that it is not always an ensemble star cast and a big budget that works for a film.

Phas Gaye Re Obama is the perfect example of a film where it is the content made better through superb performances that wins the hearts of not only the audience but also the critics.

It may be recalled here that many films hitting theaters in 2010 were critically acclaimed movies in spite of the fact that they were made at a paltry budget (read Udaan, Tere Bin Laden, Love Sex Aur Dhokha).

Phas Gaye Re Obama begins from where we see the NRI character Om completely bankrupt in the recession hit America. Om, played by Rajat Kapoor, returns to India to acquire the necessary amount of money required to keep his house in the US.

But as soon as he lands on Indian soil, Om is kidnapped by underworld dons. The gang who has kidnapped Om are of the idea that he is still a rich man and therefore he will give them money to cope the recession.

Phas Gaye Re Obama is the first film which deals with the innovative subject of recession hitting a terrorist gang! And it is this subject which makes the film a must watch.

Something that all film connoisseurs can look forward to is the brilliant screenplay of Phas Gaye Re Obama. Though the cast is nothing to boast about, their acting skills completely overshadow their image.

The editing of the Subhash Kapoor project which hits theaters today falls short of expectations at certain places, but the story and performances make up for minor glitches.

Watch Online Movie Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Se

2010-12-04T04:51:00.000-08:00

Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Sikandar Kher, Vishakha Singh

Director: Ashutosh Gowariker

Rating: ****

There's ongoing sense of serenity compounded by a feeling of sincerity and transparency in the cinema of Ashutosh Gowariker. This filmmaker never hides life's most essential truth in cinematic subterfuge. Rather, Gowariker goes the other way.

He strips the emotional content of cinema of its accessories and trappings and leaves the screen with just that right amount of drama that does complete justice to the characters without making them a casualty of excessive creative freedom.

Celebrate the creative freedom of a fearless and honest cinema. "Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey" (KHJJS) is an inherently dramatic story about a large group of young people who fought an unknown chapter in India's freedom movement, told on screen with a minimum amount of flag-waving bravura.

The source material, Manini Chatterjee's novel, is open to an acutely pompous and self-important treatment. But when has Gowariker's cinema ever been a prey to pomposity?

If he can make Akbar's court look so cool, casual and muted in spite of its inbuilt flamboyancy, the super-committed sepoys of self-government in KHJJS are not capable of even a second of verbal or visual overstatement.

Going to a world that is strongly redolent of historic ramifications, Gowariker pulls the real-life material out of the textbook and transforms it into an eminently engaging story about anti-colonialism.

This is certainly not Gowariker's first visit into Colonial India. Who can forget the director's neo-classic "Lagaan" where one villager gathered a whole team of ragged villagers to beat the Brits at their own game.

KHJJS is not as playful, lyrical and lush as "Lagaan". This time Gowariker tells his story with brutal straightforwardness, a quality that is a hallmark of this exceptional director's cinema, here more prominently on display than in any of his earlier works.

The epic satire of "Lagaan", the grandiosity of "Jodhaa-Akbar" and the transparent nationalism of "Swades" peep out of Gowariker's latest work in measured doses, though never in a way that suggests any calculated attempt to create a pre-given ambience.

The setting, Chittagong in Bengal in the 1930s, is created with a fluency, virility and scrupulousness that make us believe in the characters and their mission from the word go. Watching out for those sleeping-dogs of over-statement, the narrative moves across a an artless criss-cross of patriotic plotting without tripping over in anxiety and nervousness.

A sense of calm camaraderie prevails even during moments of unsettling bloodshed. This is no one-day mataram. The patriotic zeal never felt more tranquil before. This is history without hysteria. In KHJJS, each one of 70-odd characters seems born into his or her respective parts.

Much of supporting cast does what it is expected to. It supports the drama and the tension with restrain and skill. Standing tall in the supporting cast is Sikandar Kher expressing indignance and ire without going over-the-top.

Deepika Padukone sheds her pouty movie-siren's image confidently. She gets unexpected competition from debutante Vishakha Singh who seems to get under the skin of her character.

But the film finally 'belongs' to Abhishek Bachchan in the way that films become the property of actors who own characters not for a display of histrionic vanity but because they grasp instinctively the world which the character inhabits.

Abhishek's empathy with his character is complete and unimpeachable. As Surjya Sen, he conveys a muffled but obstinate idealism. Abhishek's eyes become his window to a world where pain governs the journey to a greater glory.

Just as it's impossible to imagine Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Black" and "Guzaarish" without Amitabh Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, or Gowariker's "Swades" without Shah Rukh Khan, what, we wonder, would Surjya Sen be if Abhishek had not played him with such quelled anger, dignity and grace?

Or for that matter where in our cinema today would history find a place if Gawariker was not committed to making compelling films on the indelible relationship between the present and the past?

On the technical front, Kiran Deohans' cinematography and Nitin Desai's art direction are subtle delicate but evocative. Sohail Sen's music fits in like a glove with the film's theme and mood of restrained revolution.

Don't expect the bombastic patriotism of Manoj Kumar's "Kranti" or the tax-exemptible desperate nobility of "Gandhi - My Father". The effectiveness of Gowariker's drama is drawn from the director's determination to keep his drama denuded of exhibitionism.

"Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey" is the kind of rare and precious cinema on the theme of idealism, nobility and nationalism that is being progressively pushed out of our cinema by crass boorish comedies.

It must be seen not because it retrieves a forgotten chapter from our history, but simply because it's a story so well told you forget it's a true story.

The truth of the moment in the cinema of Gowariker is the only truth that matters for the audience. The rest is history.

Reason behind her Deepika breakup with Ranbir

2010-08-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

The buzz around Deepika and Ranbir that had filled in the Bollywood air following the shooting of Bachna E Haseeno, disappeared right after the duo parted their ways. Why they broke up is a secret till date. For the first time in an interview, the leggy actress reveals that she broke loose from Ranbir for his straying habits.

What Deepika stated is quite contrary to the rumors that she parted from him because he had begun to like Katrina. Why was Deepika tight-lipped about the cause of their sudden estrangement? That too is a mystery.

While being interviewed by an esteemed daily, the Bollyhood hottie said that when she was in a relationship with Ranbir, she was committed to keep up with it. Being a Capricorn, she knows only to give. She added that in each of her relationships, it was the guy to have strayed.

She can turn blind to something, if it happens only one time. But she cannot ignore it if it repeats itself over and again.

However, Deepika, who is on a high over the release of her latest movie Lagangey Parindey in which she plays a blind girl opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh, is happy with her pairing with liquor baron Siddharth Mallaya. She is quite careful about her present relationship.

Will Aamir Khan ever do this Rs.5 crore movie

2010-08-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Director Kundan Shah is planning to cast Bollywood perfectionist Aamir Khan in his next project titled Tycoon.

However, due to some reason, Shah wants to keep the budget of the movie within Rs 5 crore, which won’t be possible if he has to pay Aamir his present market value. So, the director has probably expressed his desire to Aamir to consider some cut in the fee.

The director is planning to develop Tycoon in the line of his 1983 comic movie Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, which is still regarded to be a benchmark for black comedy in Hindi cinema.

The project of Kundan has excited and tempted Aamir but he wants it to be like any other big budget movie of him and he should be paid the usual fee.

Recently, Kundan Shah has been seen visiting Aamir Khan several times, probably to discuss the script. Confirming the news, Shah stated that he has talked with Aamir for this comedy flick titled Tycoon and it would be of the same genre of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. He said that the movie will have an added flavor of romance also.

Kundan added that if he pays Aamir his market price, it would turn out to be another 3 Idiots and he has no such plans.

Aamir has not yet shown green signal officially. Only time will tell if Aamir considers the fact and goes ahead with Kundan’s Tycoon.

Watch Online movie Lafangey Parindey

2010-08-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Starring: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Deepika Padukone, Manish Chaudhary and Piyush Mishra

Director: Pradeep Sarkar

Rating: ***

Pradeep Sarkar after delivering a critical and box office success with his debut feature Parineeta had faltered in his next one, Laga Chunari Mein Daag but with Lafangey Parindey he has managed to get back in form and has succeeded in giving masala entertainer.

The only thing that goes against it are the predictable plot points and the slow pace.

But despite its few flaws LP is still worth a watch for its unusual lead pair Neil and Deepika and good direction aided by nice music.

Nandan Kamthekar aka One Shot Nandu (Neil) works for Usmaan bhai (Piyush Mishra) as a fighter for his betting games. In the Tilakwadi basti that he lives in Mumbai, also stays Pinky Palkar (Deepika) an ace skating dancer who aspires to win a TV reality show contest and break out of the lower middle class life.

A botched up job for Usmaan bhai along with his mentor Anna (Kay Kay Menon) leads to a big mess for Nandu. Pinky’s life changes over night too as all her dreams get crashed with her accident that leaves her blind.

Circumstances lead to Nandu helping out Pinky and teaming with her to participate in the talent hunt show which she always dreamt of winning. How it changes all equations for Nandu and the people connected to him forms the rest of the plot!

Pradeep Sarkar should be commended for opting for a completely different genre to the female oriented subjects he has been adept at.

However, Sarkar has ensured his female lead’s character is pretty strong enough. The Mumbai chawl setting appears authentic and so do the characters inhabiting it. The action and skate dance sequences have been imaginatively shot.

The songs too don't act as speed breakers. The only major flaw of the enterprise is the sense of déjà vu one gets of films like Jeetendra – Hema Malini starrer Kinara and Aamir Khan’s Ghulam.

But then that is a minor flaw, as the screenplay is infused with plenty of good moments that need to be experienced on screen.

Neil Nitin Mukesh convincingly adapts himself as a Mumbai tapori despite his suave persona befitting a rich dude. Deepika Padukone is only getting better with each film and with this one she treads successfully on a difficult character graph. She is effortless in her blind girl act and very good in emotional scenes.

Piyush Mishra as the bad ass don is super cool in his act and is fun to watch mouth some really acidic lines laced with humour. Kay Kay Menon in a short but significant part is effective.

All the actors playing Neil’s friends are very good. Manish Choudhary (last seen in Rocket Singh) playing a Police investigating officer delivers a fine act too. The two kids of Tilakwadi are hilarious to watch, especially Ameya Pandya in his tapori kid act.

R.Anandh’s music is fresh with Man Lafanga and Dhatad Dhatad being the pick of the lot. N. Natarajan Subramaniam’s cinematography is good and captures the dark night Mumbai sequences well. Editing by Sanjib Dutta however could have been better as the film drops pace in regular intervals. Bosco Caesar’s choreography is innovative.

Do give Lafangey Parindey a chance. It is definitely not a waste of time. Its characters succeed in endearing themselves to you. It may not be an ace but its still a quality product from Yash Raj Fims and marks the return to form of Pradeep Sarkar.

Watch Online Peepli [Live]

2010-08-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Cast: Omkar Das Manikpuri, Raghuvir Yadav, Shalini Vatsa, Farrukh Jaffar, Malaika Shenoy, Vishal Sharma, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sitaram Panchal, Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Bashir

Producer: Aamir Khan

Director: Anusha Rizvi

Rating: ****

It is a miracle that a script like "Peepli Live" has been turned into a movie and has got a commercial release. It is certainly surprising that a mainstream filmmaker like Aamir Khan decided to invest money in a movie that puts the spotlight on grave issues like the plight of Indian peasants.

And, of course, kudos to journalist-turned-director Anusha Rizvi for penning down a story that focusses on rural India and its problems at a time when most Bollywood filmmakers are busy luring NRI audiences with mindlesss comedies and designer dramas.

According to a report, 200,000 farmers have ended their lives since 1997 and it is said that the rise in indebtedness is the root cause of farmer suicide. Anusha's directorial debut follows this theme in "Peepli Live" - albeit as a satire.

The film also takes a look at how media and politicians use such tragedies to up their TRPs and votebanks respectively. The real issue dies under their rat race.

Set in a small village, the film follows the plight of a farmer's family. Natha (Omkar Das) and Budhiya (Raghuvir Yadav) are brothers who had taken a loan against their land. Their only source of livelihood is put under the hammer when they fail to repay the money.

They try to seek the help of a local politician, whose job is to serve the people. But he shoos them away saying the government gives compensation to the families of those farmers who commit suicide.

Initially, the brothers ignore the suggestion, but Budiya convinces Natha to sacrifice his life for the sake of the family.

It's election time in the region and a local newspaper owner sends his reporter Rakesh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) - who otherwise doesn't want to budge from his comfort zone in search of stories - to the village. Rakesh comes to know of Natha's decision to end his life and reports it.

The news creates a sensation in the political arena and before it can be brushed under the carpet, somebody gives the lead of the Natha story to Nandita Malik (Malaika Shenoy), an elite English channel journalist. She grabs the opportunity and dashes off to Peepli as the news promises good TRPs.

As soon as her report is flashed comes an avalanche of reporters to the village and there begins a media circus as every journalist vies to sensationalise the issue.

Rakesh, who actually filed the story, becomes a mere puppet in the hands of Nandita and when he tries to tell her about another farmer's death, she refuses to report it as she doesn't see it as a TRP booster for her channel.

The irony is that nobody - be it reporters or politicians - tries to know why Natha decides to take his life. In fact, no one is interested in solving his problem as they have their own agendas.

"Peepli Live" is a satire that shows the reality behind media houses, politicians, bureaucrats and their apathetic approach towards problems. But the script is written in a such a manner that it makes the audience laugh.

India promotes itself as one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the film shows the miserable condition of farmers who continue to end their lives after living in extreme poverty.

A report says the highest level of farmer suicides has been reported in Vidarbha, Maharashtra - reportedly 4,000 farmer suicides per year. In recent times, farmer suicides in Chhattisgarh have been hogging the limelight as well as in Punjab.

First time director Anusha has not only written a taut script but also executed the story effectively. It seems the film is her attempt to enlighten viewers about the social dilemma that our country is facing and her experience as a journalist is quite visible in her storytelling.

The actors -- from Omkar Das, Raghuvir and Shalini Vatsa as Natha's short tempered wife Dhania to Malaika Shenoy and Vishal Sharma -- are brilliant too.

If Omkar and Raghuvir bring forth the sufferings of farmers, Shalini, an M. Phil from Jawaharlal Nehru University, should be applauded for playing the role with such ease and perfection. Malaika and Vishal fit the bill of English and Hindi channel reporters respectively.

Anusha blends the miseries of farmers and subsequent political and media reactions seamlessly in "Peepli Live" and that makes it a must watch.

Watch online Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai

2010-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

By Subhash K. Jha

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi,Randeep Hooda, Kangna Ranaut, Prachi Desai; Directed by: Milan Luthria;
Rating: *** ½

It's the way he looks at the camera. Almost as if it doesn't exist. Ajay Devgn as Sultan Mirza is NOT Haji Mastan, please note. He's just this Robin Hood in the 1970s who happened to be a smuggler and who at some point in the taut plot, locks horns with a junior recruit who, please note, is NOT Dawood Ibrahim.

So who, in the name of immoral crime and haphazard policing, are these two men? So stylishly masculine, so sweaty in their realism and so menacing in their demeanour and complete denial of the existent morality they remind you of the anti-social heroes from Sam Peckinpah's Westerns?

"Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" takes us back to the beginnings of gangsterism in Mumbai. Milan Luthria excels in creating smouldering combustive stress between two mean menacing men… Remember Devgn (who back then was Devgan, just as Mumbai was Bombay when the film under review unfolds) and Saif Ali Khan in Luthria's "Kachche Dhaage" and on a more satirical note, John Abraham and Nana Patekar in "Taxi No 9211".

In "Once Upon A Time…." the conflict between Devgn (who is NOT Haji Mastan) and Emraan Hashmi (who is NOT Dawood) is placed in a far more complex and challenging scenario. The screenplay (Rajat Arora) takes into view the entire gamut of grime in the canvas of crime that cannot be hidden by the surface glamour and glitter.

The vintage cars, the costumes and that attitude of rebellious abandon comes through in the inner and outer styling of the characters. The people in Luthria's panoramic view of Mumbai in the late 1960s and 70s are steeped in a cinematic realism. Neither a part of that period nor a completely true representation of an era gone-bye-bye the characters hover in a no-man's-land populated by fascinating details of past recreated with a tongue-in-cheek broadness of purpose.

There are bouts of suppressed satire in the way the whole era of the genesis of the underworld is represented. For example Emraan Hashmi befriends and sleeps with a woman who looks a lot like a Bollywood actress whom Raj Kapoor had introduced in a film and Dawood had befriended and allegedly impregnated.

Often the characters are an amalgamation of furious folklore and long-forgotten newspaper headlines of the 1970s. Kangna Ranaut plays an actress from the 1970s who gets the hots for the Robin Hood-styled smuggler-hero. Later she is discovered to have a congenital heart disease (a la Madhubala who came two decades before the events of this film are supposed to unfold). But look at the irony! It's her smuggler-hero lover who dies of a wounded heart.

Maybe we shouldn't give away the plot. Because the plot never gives itself away. It never betrays a phoney intent of purpose. The narrative unfolds through the first-person narration of a troubled wounded cop, played with remarkably restrained bravado by Randeep Hooda. Indeed this is the most accomplished performance in the film. He's partly a gallant law enforcer and partly a victim of a system that breeds inequality, corruption and finally, self-destruction.

Hooda is wry, cynical, bitter, anguished and yet able to see the humour of a situation that one can ride only by sublimating its gravity. As for Ajay Devgn, he continues to evolve with every performance. As a gangster from the 1970s Devgan brings on the table a clenched self-mocking immorality. He stands outside the character even while internalizing the performance.

Director Milan Luthria imparts a keen eye for details to the storytelling. Some bits in the second-half get shaky, such as the predicable club songs and the repeated use of overlapping editing patterns to convey the rising tension between the mentor and the protégé turned tormenter. But the director's command over the language of outlawry is unquestionable.

Emran Hashmi as Devgn's uncontrollable protégée gets the look and body language right. His courtship of Prachi Desai to the accompaniment of romantic hits from the 1970s (e.g Raj Kapoor's "Bobby") is engaging.

Understandably, the two ladies are reduced to pursing their lips and wringing their hands as the story progresses. The film's best, most charming and heartwarming moments come in the early stages of the drama between Devgn and Ranaut. Their growing fondness for one another is recorded in scenes and words written by a poet who can see the humour behind mutual attractions.

The real hero of this film is the writing. Rajat Arora's dialogues flow from the storytelling in a smooth flow of poetry and street wisdom. Aseem Mishra's sharply -evocative cinematography gives to this rugged-and-razorsharp look at Mumbai's mythic mating with crime, an urgency that simply can't be ignored.

Watch Online I Hate Luv Storys Movie

2010-08-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Starring: Imran Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Sammir Dattani, Sameer Soni and Kavin Dave

Director: Punit Malhotra

Rating: ***

Boy hates mushy love stories, doesn’t believe in love and all those things that come along with it whereas the girl is a big believer in romance and is living her own perfect love story with a childhood pal. Boy meets this girl and don’t get along but eventually love strikes!

First for the girl but the boy rejects it explaining that he only thought of her as a friend. Soon love strikes him too but by then it is too late. He tries to woo her back and ends up doing all those mushy things that he hated in the first place.

Punit Malhotra’s debut directorial venture, I Hate Luv Storys works well when it tries to poke fun at these elements but eventually falls in the same clichéd trap when it comes to delivering as a film.

I Hate Luv Storys’ main lead character, J (Imran Khan) tries to poke fun of all the mush and romance ideas that generate from Bollywood. Ironically, working with Bollywood’s King of mush, filmmaker Veer Kapoor, he barely manages to keep a straight face about all that’s happening around him.

A complete opposite of J, Simran (Sonam) joins Veer Kapoor’s production as a set designer. As expected clashes take place between the two but eventually they end up becoming good friends.

Gradually she ends up falling for, Mr. Wrong at the risk of dumping her loyal perfect Mr. Right Raj (Sammir). J rebuffs her. Hurt, she tries to get over her fixation for J and decides to concentrate on her relationship with Raj.

But by then J has fallen head over heels in love with Simran and wants her back. How he tries to use all the tricks from the clichéd Bollywood references and much more to woo Simran back, forms the rest of the film.

First timer, Punit delivers big when it comes to giving the film a fresh treatment in terms of narrative and style and laces it with some extremely laugh out loud one liners. But as a writer, he falls short of offering anything new when it comes to the script.

Agreed, it tries to take a funny look at the romance seen through the typical eyes of Bollywood, by doing a parody of sorts on filmmakers.

He includes his own producer Karan Johar, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and even Aditya Chopra in it but one fails to understand why Punit doesn’t give a new perspective about the same in his own film given the resources he had in hand.

The jovial first half has its moments but the second half tends to drag, especially since you can predict well in advance how and where it is all heading. But, full marks to his actors including the periphery ones, who keep it rocking with their perfect acts.

Vishal and Shekhar’s chart topping music also aids IHLS and lifts it above the average. The innovative production design works well with the theme of the film. Ayananka Bose continues to surprise with camerawork with each passing film. She has captured the New Zealand locales superbly.

Imran Khan, after a lackluster performances in Kidnap and Luck is back in top form and very much at ease playing a rom com lead. He adds more fun to his character with his body language and facial expressions.

Sonam Kapoor is aptly cast as the dreamy lover girl and wows in her more contemporary city gal avatar unlike her first two films Saawariya and Delhi 6 which presented her in a more ethnic way.

The chemistry between this fresh pairing is amazing. Kavin Dave as Imran’s office colleague is hilariously good. The graffiti on his Tees make you LOL as well. Sammir Dattani delivers his lines monotonously.

Perhaps he was asked to appear as a boring boy friend. But he does it well. Sameer Soni is fun with his take on Karan Johar and so is Aamir Ali as the hot shot romantic star of the film he is shooting. Bruna Abdullah is smoking hot in her special appearance as Imran's flirt interest.

IHLS is fun till it lasts but once you come out of the cinema hall you realize that it fails to make an impact as a romantic comedy thanks to the feeling of déjà vu. IHLS works as pure popcorn fun.

Watch Online SALT Movie

2010-08-24T08:02:00.000-07:00

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Daniel Olbrychski

Director: Philip Noyce

Rating: ***

Salt is one of those rare action flicks that has non-stop hard hitting action for ninety minutes straight and is all done with a brain.

Originally, written for a male lead star, in which Tom Cruise was the primary candidate but after he turned it down because it was too similar to his role in Mission: Impossible the makers changed the script and took on Angelina Jolie to play the same role reworked for a female main lead.

Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a C.I.A. officer who is amazing at her job. She has done everything to protect the United States. One day, as she is leaving work to go home to her husband for their anniversary, a strange man walks into the C.I.A. offices with an extremely odd accusation about Salt.

As she and her partner, Ted Winter (Schreiber), sit around to hear him talk, things start to get a little crazy. This man, who is considered a defector, claims that Evelyn is actually a Russian spy who has been planted in the United States to kill the President.

Salt freaks out, thinking that this can't be true, and makes a run for it. Ted is on her side at first, but as the counter-intelligence officer Peabody (Ejiofor) steps in, he starts to realize that Evelyn could actually be a Russian spy.

Her actions of running away are not helping her but she wants to make sure that her husband is safe, even if that means risking her life. As the movie goes on, we learn more and more about who Salt really is. The question is whether or not she can prove her innocence before being captured.

The action is absolutely non-stop but the best part about it is that it's believable. Director Philip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger) does not go over-the-top to the point where the action seemed unreal.

Being that this movie is about 90 percent action, there is great story-telling occurring as well. The twists and turns in the plot are very surprising and keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

Throughout the entire film, you will be questioning who Salt really is. As the story gets deeper you start to become attached to the character but the best part is that you don't really ever know her true intentions. That hopefully will leave the film open for a sequel.

Jolie has finally bridged that gap where one is able to look at her character as an action star, rather than a female or male. Every performance in the film is strong from Jolie to the amazingly talented actors, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Liev Schrieber.

The film is short (100 minutes running time), fun and you get to see Angelina Jolie kicking butt and looking hot. Do watch it on the big screen.

Watch Online Khatta Meetha

2010-08-24T08:01:00.000-07:00

Starring: Akshay Kumar, introducing Trisha, Urvashi Sharma, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani, Milind Gunaji and Manoj Joshi

Director: Priyadarshan

Rating: *1/2

Satire is a genre rarely touched by Bollywood mainstream filmmakers, so when a big star like Akshay Kumar decides to co-produce one with a director like Priyadarshan with whom he has never delivered a flop, naturally expectations run high.

But what one gets at the end of the day is a migraine inducer. Remake of Malayalam film Vellanakalude Nadu (1988) starring Mohanlal, Khatta Meetha neither entertains nor offers anything new.

Sachin Tichkule (Akshay) is a road contractor who is forever cash strapped and in a mess after he attempts to go corrupt. His extended family consisting of a brother (Paritosh) and two brothers-in-law (Milind Gunaji and Manoj Joshi) all staying together under one roof are neck deep in corruption where PWD contracts are involved.

Sachin is often ridiculed by them for being a blot to their family since he is not able to contribute anything to the family but only creating more problems paining his retired judge father (Kulbhushan Kharbanda). Problems multiply for Sachin as his ex-flame Gehna Ganpule (Trisha) comes as the new Muncipal Commissioner.

First things first, if you are expecting Khatta Meetha to be a rip roaring comic affair, then let us warn you, the only genuinely comic moments of the film are all what you see in the promos. The entire film is a messed up affair with a non-existent plot joined together with some truly inane sequences.

In fact, the setting also reminds one of Priyadarshan’s assistant Rajeev Kumar directed flop comedy Chal Chala Chal starring Govinda. Making it worse is the long running time of over 2 hours and 40 minutes.

Priyadarshan tries to pack in too many things and fails on all accounts. He stretches his comic sequences very long, resulting in spoiling a good joke.

The bridge and road contractors – Muncipal body officials and politicians nexus shown doesn’t really expose anything new and the contrived manner in which it all culminates makes you pull out your hair in irritation. What works to some extent is the authentic small town setting and a few one liners.

Akshay Kumar is the only good thing about this chaotic enterprise. Be it sarcastic humour or performing the most implausible comic sequences he performs them all with full conviction.

Trisha (in a dubbed voice) makes an average debut but the blame goes to makers for casting her in a role of a Muncipal Commissioner. She appears too young for it. Urvashi Sharma is good. Aruna Irani playing Akki’s mom is wasted.

Kulbhushan Kharbanda has his good moments. Usual suspects of any Priyadarshan film – Manoj Joshi, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav with addition of Johhny Lever continue to assault your senses with their high decibel dialogue delivery in the name of comedy.

Pritam delivers with a few good songs but with each song badly placed, half their fun is lost. Camerawork by V. Manikandan is good capturing the interiors of Maharashtra well.

Khatta Meetha fails to deliver what it promises. It is neither a political satire nor a good family drama. The film is better being avoided.

Watch Online Udaan Movie

2010-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

Cast: Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor

Director: Vikramaditya Motwane

Rating: ****

In 1959 in France, a teenage boy ran away from a juvenile home. That moment in "400 Blows" was symbolic for French cinema, as with it they left the baggage of cliché behind and embraced a new, youthful vibrancy that would change cinema of the World.

Fifty years later, Hindi cinema finds itself just at that moment of epiphany with this year's, perhaps even this decade's best Hindi film, in "Udaan". Will Hindi cinema hold on to the wings of this film and take flight?

Rohan is just another 'average' kid, rebellious and dreamer. After being expelled from boarding school, he has to live with his authoritarian, oppressive father in the steel town of Jamshedpur. It is obvious that the apple has fallen as far from the tree as it is possible.

The father runs a small steel plant and wants his son to be an engineer and enjoys defeating him in running, while the son sits on railway tracks, under a tree, by the bed of a river, composing poetry. Senior Singh cannot digest the fact that his son dreams of being a writer. So he makes his rules clear to both Rohan and his young step-brother Arjun.

Rohan rebels in his own little ways, but has to concede to his fathers demands. When he comes to know that the reason for his step-brother's hospitalisation is because of a beating from his father, he seethes with rage, but can do nothing.

Yet, in the end you cannot hold a rebellious spirit down and Rohan breaks free from his shackles.

"Udaan" will not only resonate with those who had a troubled childhood, but with anyone who has faced oppression, or ever nurtured dreams. The film is an analogy of life and of a nation's social ethos.

Another film that came out earlier this year "Leaving Home", a documentary about the band Indian Ocean, resonated with the same middle-class aspiration that "Udaan" dabbles with. There too the band members detail how they had had to fight their own parents and the system to become artists.

The cast gives a stellar performance.

Rajat Barmecha as Rohan is a precious find, while Ronit Roy as his father reminds you of another super-villain of world cinema, nurse Ratched in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest". Looking at his maturely restrained performance, you wonder what he is doing wasting time overacting for television.

Yet, the winner is director Vikramaditya Motwane. Like Francois Truffaut with "400 Blows", his is also a delectable, beautiful debut. And like Truffaut himself, he too had been a rebel with the film being a veiled biography.

Hence, in the end, when Rohan outruns his father, you cannot help but celebrate, and like "400 Blows" did, you only wish Bollywood too comes out of the shackles of its own clichés and open its arms to directors like Motwane.

If nothing, the fact that even after seven months Bollywood has not had a single hit in 2010 should be sign enough for them to adopt the much needed newness.

Perhaps it is too much to expect. But then, all the best things in the world exist because of these individual rebellions, from people who have run away from conventions to create their own dreans.

"Udaan" is both a celebration and a triumph of that spirit rebellious.

Watch Online Raavan Movie

2010-08-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Govinda, Ravi Kissen and introducing Vikram

Director: Mani Ratnam

Rating: ***1/2

Since the time of the announcement of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, curiosity about how India’s most accomplished filmmaker manages to do a modern day adaptation of the mythological epic, Ramayan, has known no bounds. Thankfully, Mani succeeds in his own inimitable way. His team’s painstaking hard work shows in every frame of the film and his actors help him raise the film’s bar.

The film opens with policemen killed at various places around Lal Maati, a small town in Northern India. This is followed by abduction of the local police chief Dev’s (Vikram) wife Raagini (Aishwarya Rai). The dreaded low cast tribal lord Beera (Abhishek) is behind the kidnapping.

Dev (Vikram) immediately gets hot on the trail of Beera with trusted lieutenant Hemant (Nikhil Dwivedi) and seeks the help of the jovial forest guard Sanjeevani (Govinda).

Beera knows the dense jungle like the back of his hand and is helped by the tribals, managing to stay just one step ahead of Dev and his team.

But as the cat and mouse chase proceeds between Beera and Dev, the initial hate of Raagini for Beera subsides. As Dev inches closer, the near maniacal Beera shows he has a heart too and Raagini almost loses hers to him. What follows after Beera and Dev come face to face forms the rest of the film.

Taking on a mega epic like Ramayan and turning it on its head giving his own personal interpretation, Mani Ratnam dares to depart from the religious text and succeeds in showcasing how Ram can be a Raavan and how a Raavan can also be a Ram.

Aided by the best technical crew of Indian cinema, Mani has made his multilayered film, a technical marvel to watch with awe. The first half moves on rapidly mostly focusing on Dev’s chase of Beera, but however it gets boring beyond a point since the story hardly moves ahead.

Mani also fails to establish the exact setting of the outlaws. Are they Naxals or a modern day Robin hood gang? But it is the beginning of the second half where Mani begins to pack his solid punches and achieves the peak with an unusual climax.

Beera’s background (the reason for Raagini’s abduction), Dev’s impatience to grab Beera, Raagini’s gradual change of perception about Beera and eventually the final face off between Dev and Beera have all been terrifically captured.

Abhishek is nothing short of brilliant, portraying Beera. If you thought Abhishek delivered his best under Mani in Yuva and Guru, watch Raavan for his evolvement into an actor of true caliber. Aishwarya Rai delivers a top notch act.

Makeup less and forever battered and bruised, Aishwarya’s eyes convey a lot more than the shrieking her character has to resort to most of the time.

Vikram unfortunately is saddled with a one dimensional character for most part of the film until the climactic punch. He looks fearless and arouses enough curiosity as an actor to watch him play Beera in the Tamil version of the film.

Govinda as Sanjeevani brings on the much required comic relief in the tense proceedings and succeeds. Ravi Kissen grabs the opportunity to impress with both his hands and does well. Priyamani playing Beera’s sister, in her brief role manages to bring out the pathos of her unfortunate character.

Mani takes you to virgin locations within India never exposed before on screen. Be it the thick dense forests in Kerala or the same state’s dangerous Athirappally Waterfalls or the exotic Orcha in Madhya Pradesh and Malshej Ghat valley in Maharashtra, Santosh Sivan and Manikandan’s camera captures it all with super finesse. The action finale on the hanging bridge, a never seen before feat in Indian cinema makes your heart skip a beat.

Oscar winner A.R. Rahman’s music coupled with Gulzar’s lyrics is mesmerizing but Mani hardly gives any time for any song to register any impact, as if in a quick hurry.

The subtle statement Mani incorporates against the system on behalf of the low caste have-nots is laudable but could have been a little more elaborate.

Nevertheless, as Mani Ratnam’s metaphoric interpretation of the grand epic, Raavan definitely deserves a visit to your nearest cinema hall for its plusses certainly over ride its minuses.

Watch Online Milenge Milenge Movie

2010-08-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Aarti Chabbria, Satish Shah and Delnaz Paul

Director: Satish Kaushik

Rating: *1/2

Milenge Milenge is a poor rehash of John Cussack – Kate Beckinsale starrer romantic comedy Serendipity (2001) that was about destiny bringing two lovers back together.

But perhaps makers Boney Kapoor and Satish Kaushik were not as lucky to quickly encash on its success as their copy took a good seven years to come on screen.

In the meanwhile a small film starring TV actor Sarwar Ahuja and veteran actress Tabassum's granddaughter Khushi titled Hum Phirr Milein Na Milein released and flopped last year carrying the same plotline.

Milenge Milenge narrates the tale of Priya (Kareena) and Immy (Shahid) who meet each other in Bangkok and fall in love.

However when Priya (Kareena) gets to know that Immy (Shahid) used her diary to know what she liked so that he could impress her, she dumps him. Immy manages to convince her to give him one more chance.

And Priya writes her name in a book and Immy's name in a Rs. 50 note and gave it away to different people, adding that if they ever get back those two items it would mean destiny wants them to be together.

Milenge Milenge is not only badly written and looks like an amateurish attempt but is completely dated in its approach by Satish Kaushik.

The way Kareena's character is established in the opening credits is quite passé and the subsequent series of events completely bore you.

The film is full of stereotyped characters and monotonous dialogues which would have not worked even back in 2005 had it been released then.

Himesh Reshammiya's music also does not click. The film is shot and edited very inconsistently as well.

If one expects at least the acting to be a good thing about the film then there is disappointment in this department too. Shahid carries a huge Shah Rukh Khan hangover and irritates while Kareena is just about passable. Aarti Chabbria hardly gets any scope. Rest all are plain average.

The film falls completely short on any expectations that you may have. Watch it only if you have the curiosity of checking out Shahid and Kareena together for probably the last time. Otherwise please stay miles away from Milenge Milenge.

Watch Online Movie Tere Bin Laden

2010-08-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Starring: Ali Zafar, Pradhuman Singh, Sugandha Garg and Piyush Mishra

Director: Abhishek Sharma

Rating: ***1/2

There are some films that are winners right from the time their very first promo is unleashed and Tere Bin Laden is one such film!

Since the time many months back the hilarious promo of this Abhishek Sharma debut directorial venture came on, tremendous curiosity value for the film arose despite the fact that the film doesn’t carry any big face value. The film thankfully lives up to the promise and entertains making it a winner in all its departments.

The film narrates in a tongue-in-cheek manner a Pakistani reporter’s attempts to migrate to the US and chaos it all leads to.

Ali Hassan (Ali Zafar) is an ambitious young news reporter from Pakistan Ali (Ali Zafar) who is extremely desperate to migrate to the US in pursuit of the American dream. His repeated attempts to immigrate are shot down as his visa is forever rejected. But when things couldn't look worse he comes across Noora (Pradhuman Singh) who is an Osama bin laden look alike.

Ali then hatches a scheme to produce a fake Osama video and sell it to news channels as a breakthrough scoop! Unfortunately this leads to serious implications as the White House also gets involved and dispatches an overzealous secret agent on Ali's trail.

First timer Abhishek Sharma shows complete command as both a writer and director. Keeping the running time just around 100 minutes, he ensures maximum laugh out loud moments. His recreation of Pakistan deserves kudos. The script is the main hero of this Tere Bin Laden wasting no time in going into unnecessary deviations.

Pakistani singer Ali Zafar has been perfectly cast and shows remarkable comic talent. Pradhuman Singh is simply uproarious to watch. A great find. Sugandha Garg last seen in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na is another talent to watch out for. Piyush Mishra and Rahul Singh are fun too. Barry John as the American agent is good.

The music is fun too and Jaideep Sahni written Ullu Da Patha stands out the most.

Tere Bin Laden proves when you have a strong content you don’t necessarily need big stars. It’s a definite watch if you want to laugh your guts out!

Watch Lamha Movie Online

2010-08-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Kunal Kapoor, Anupam Kher

Written & Directed by Rahul Dholakia

Rating: *** ½

Everyone, says someone important in this searing document of our times, is playing politics in the Kashmir Valley. In a milieu of all-pervasive politics, thank the Lord for a creative voice that can look into the burning Valley with dispassionate compassion.

Lamhaa is one of those docu-dramas that could have easily toppled into the territory of over-statement and over-simplified politics. And boy, haven’t we seen that happen in very successful political cinema in recent times?!

Rahul Dholakia who earlier made the gently persuasive Parzania on the aftermath of the Gujarat riots, doesn’t lose his storytelling equilibrium even when the sitiuations of crises described by the skilfully-written plot scream for attention.

Restraint and honesty go hand-in-hand in Dholakia’s Kashmir, which we’d like to believe, is the real Kashmir, unalloyed, non-magnified, intense and utterly devoid of artifice.

The camera moves restlessly through the dangerous crowded main roads and tense bylanes of Kashmir where anything can happen.

The cinematographer James Fowlds seems to know the Valley of the damned with the transparent scrupulousness of an insider who can place himself outside the explosive bustle of a portion of earth that’s rapidly slipped into the stratosphere of anarchy and mayhem.

The high-octane screenplay has no space or time to shed tears for the innocent and the dead. Miraculously liberated of overt sentimentality Lamhaa moves with candour and confidence through a world whose politics has become progressively impossible for the outsider to comprehend. Dholakia’s narrative moves through a labyrinth of pain and violence without trying to make common sense of them.

The narrative imposes no morality on the escalated violence of the Valley. Neither does Dholakia get excessively ‘cinematic’ in his approach to the complex material. Most of the time he lets the characters be. The Valley of simmering discontent comes alive in front of us in a ferocious but toned-down swoop of politics and drama.

The narrative moves swiftly and steadily through the characters’ lives. It isn’t always easy to tell who is on the right side, probably because the lines of morality are not just blurred in the Valley, they’ve almost completely disappeared.Jannat is in a limbo.

Lamhaa is a tearless ode to a people who have become so isolated from the mainstream of Indian life that the adorable children openly and abusively talk of India as a separate country.

The dialogues (Ashwath Bhatt) spare none, not the politicians and certainly not the other power-brokers who in the films words, have turned Kashmir into a lucrative business company.

At the lowest level Lamhaa is thoughtprovoking mirror of mayhem and misapprehensions on a piece of earth that once was paradise. At the highest level it’s an even-pitched docu-drama which doesn’t mince words nor try to act cute about a throbbing crisis. The pitch is controlled even when the circumstances in the plot are totally out of control.

As Sanjay Dutt walks into the volatile Valley with leonine strides we feel for a while as though Dholakia wants to insinuate a larger-than-life super-hero into headline-driven politics. But Dutt soon blends into the savage fabric of a life lived on the edge by people who have nothing to lose any more.

The film is dotted with memorable cameos. Among the fringe players Shernaz Patel as a woman looking for her husband for 18 years leaves a lingering impact.

Among the principal cast Kunal Kapoor as a young militant turned conscientious politician determined to gather peace into the Valley and Anupam Kher as a treacherous political leader get it right dead-on.

But the real revelation is Bipasha Basu. In a powerful role that Shabana Azmi would no doubt have played twenty years ago, Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions.

The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot.

Lamhaa is not an easy film to watch. It comes to no decisive end. It takes into consideration the entire politics of Kashmir without careening towards excessive drama.This is that rare political drama where every component in the jigsaw of politics and terrorism is put on screen with a sensitivity and precision that repudiate melodramatic excesses.

A word of special praise for Mithoon’s songs. The lyrically lush tunes break into the deafening sound of bomb blasts and roaring guns to remind us that once the best poets of Kashmir wrote poetry on the beauty of the Valley.

The beauty of Lamhaa lies in its constant gaze at that beauty that one still glimpses in the shimmering waters of Dal Lake on a quiet and peaceful day.

Watch Online Movie Aisha

2010-08-24T07:52:00.000-07:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Ira Dubey, Cyrus Shahukar, Arunoday Singh

Directed by Rajshree Ojha

Rating: ***

The thing about shallow people from the beau monde is that they shouldn’t be played shallowly when brought to the screen.

Sonam Kapoor in a ‘tailor’- made role (where more moolah seems to have been spent on tailoring her chic outfits than on exploring the locations , sound sights scents and , yes, sense of this embarrassing world of excessive self-preening) gets the Jane Austen character right. Quite a leap for the actress.

When she had played the confused lover-girl in Saawariya Sonam had imposed her own natural-born confusions on the character rendering it shaky and disembodied.

In Aisha Sonam is far more in control of her character’s misguided emotional compulsions. The fact that the young actress knows this label-centric designer world of chic shenanigans so well helps Sonam master and contour her character’s art of self-deception in a way the original author of the character would have approved.

Sonam’s world harks back to Jane Austen’s giddy-headed British gentry class where match-making was not idle chatter. It was religion.

When placed in the neo-rich spiced-up politically-charged atmosphere of Delhi Jane Austen’s characters seem to come alive in unexpected spurts of sassy splendour and unbridled joie de vivre. You can’t help laugh at these young often-aimless people’s selfimportance.

Aisha is a 2-hour celebration of pre-nuptial rituals. Though no one says it, every girl in the picture wants only one thing. And it isn’t necessarily love, but somewhere close. The bristle and bustle of Delhi come alive through the slender intellectual faculties of the protagonists.

Let’s not forget Jane Austen had applied great intellectual strength to her frail and shallow people.

Aisha converts Austen’s world into a frail feisty frolicsome fashion fiesta shot with an empowering affection for the natural light that bathes these somewhat affected people.

The cinematography by Diego Rodriguez and specially the songs and background music by Amit Trivedi create a multi-hued skyline in this saga of sophomore socialites, their loves, lovers and love tattle.

Debutant director Rajshree Ojha gets into this world of titillating trivia and designer dreams with a wink and smile that go a long way in building a showcase around these metropolitan mannequins on a singleminded match-making prowl.

The casting is as dead-on as it can get. While the guys Abhay Deol, Cyrus Sahukar and Arunoday Singh play the Brain, Nerd and Hunk with absolute relish it’s the girls who keep you chuckling and tch-tch-ing.

Neha Dubey and debutant Amrita Puri put in pitch-perfect performances as sahelis bullied into alliances that seem manipulated on earth rather than arranged in heaven. They have a bright future ahead, single or not.

But the film belongs to Sonam Kapoor, make no mistake of that. She makes the best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be a part of Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi’s elitist affectations in one clean cool sweep.

Engaging and endearing Aisha makes you wonder if there’s anything more important in the world than finding the right match.

Maybe finding the right movie about finding the right match?

Watch Movie Online Help

2010-08-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Starring: Bobby Deol, Mugdha Godse, Shreyas Talpade, Sophie Handa, Jyoti Dogra and Salim Fatehi

Director: Rajeev Manoj Virani

Rating: **1/2

Rajeev Manoj Virani's Help is a well made horror film that succeeds in giving you the requisite chills and thrills expected out of a good horror film but the problem lies with the unoriginality of the plot that seems heavily inspired from Thai film Alone.

Vic (Bobby Deol) is a filmmaker in a relationship with Pia (Mugdha). There relationship is going through turmoil because of rumours linking Vic with his actress Sussane (Linda Arsenio).

The couple has to immediately fly to Mauritius, after they get a call about Pia's dad (Salim Fatehi) having a heart attack. But after Pia comes back to her ancestral house strange things start happening with her. She starts seeing her dead twin sister Dia who had died when she was five.

After it is known that Pia is pregnant the spirit of her twin sister completely possesses her body even making her a murderer of her near and dear ones. A baffled Vic then decides to take the help of a parapsychologist Aditya (Shreyas Talpade) to solve the mystery and save Mugdha. But as they dig deeper, Aditya and Vic are shocked by the revelations behind the strange happenings!

Agreed it is an inspired film but full marks to debutante Rajiv Manoj Virani for keeping his narrative focused on the main plot and making a technically superb film. It doesn't look like his first attempt at all.

For those who haven't seen the original, Help has enough genuinely spooky moments to keep you on the edge of your seats. Just like Bhoot, this film succeeds in scaring you in broad day light sequences too.

All the spooky sequences have been extremely well shot be it sequences when the spirit of the little girl crawls on the ceiling scaring the daylights out of Mugdha or the climax after Shreyas comes back to Bobby and Mugdha.

The final revelation is least expected and a true shocker in every sense of the word.

Mugdha enacts her difficult role fairly well. Bobby Deol is earnest and does well in his part. Shreyas Talpade is very impressive, especially in the climax sequence. Salim Fatehi is good and so is Sophie Handa who plays Mugdha's best friend. Jyoti Dogra playing Mugdha's mom is terrific and gives you the chills whenever she is on screen.

Camerawork by Dhimant Vyas is very good especially for the night sequences. Ashu's music is passable.

Help is a fairly engrossing watch for those who like horror films. Sure it is an inspired film but which film isn't nowadays? This technically well shot film is paisa vasool where chills and thrills are concerned.

Watch online Lafangey Parindey Movie

2010-08-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Watch Online And Once Again Movie

2010-08-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

Starring: Rituparna Sengupta, Rajat Kapoor, Antara Mali

Director: Amol Palekar

Rating: **1/2

Loss, an obviousness in life, is extremely difficult to depict on screen. Yet to see a veteran director like Amol Palekar fail at it is a tad disappointing. But it is not just Palekar's fault. The main problem lies with a flat, one-dimensional script and lack of imagination that mars what could otherwise have been a good film.

Rishi (Rajat Kapoor) a retired civil servant, even 18 years after losing his wife Savitri (Antara Mali) and son in a bomb explosion overseas, is not over it completely. He has recently married Manu (Rituparna Sengupta), who is a caring and understanding wife.

On a trip to a monastery in Sikkim, he sees Savitri, now a monk, and his life is in tatters once again. He tries to come to terms with this mystery and the deep ripples in his mind, as do Savitri and Manu.

The answers, are neither convenient nor easy for anyone to grapple with, as guilt, anger and frustration threaten to rip apart three lives that had reached an equilibrium.

Palekar is not just a veteran actor, but a director of sensitivity and repute who had made some good films. Yet, nowhere in the film is his usual mastery of camera, tension or emotions visible.

Besides the stilted script, the emotions of characters are also one dimensional, and writer Sandhya Gokhale fails in blending the beautiful landscape of Sikkim with the possibilities that were rife in the story.

The dialogues are often pretentious, bordering on outright juvenile, especially in the beginning. The actors do their bit in what is possible in such a script.

A film like this one, made for a very niche audience, should not take the convenient route of tying every loose end in a 'perfect' ending. That's the job of commercial cinema. A film about loss, like this one, succeeds only when it leaves the audience with a sense of loss and longing.

Instead, "And Once Again" aims for catharsis with some melodramatic scenes and a convenient ending, rather than the truth, and in that lies the biggest flaw of this film.

Colombo, Sri Lanka to host the celebrated IIFA Weekend

2010-04-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

After a magical decade with celebrations across the world, the International Indian Film Academy [IIFA] will celebrate the IIFA Weekend and IIFA Awards in the exotic Emerald Island of Sri Lanka, this year. The 11th edition of IIFA will be held at the country's capital, Colombo, from June 3rd - 5th, 2010.

As always, the IIFA Weekend, Sri Lanka will be a culmination of mega events that brings Indian cinema to the world. The IIFA Weekend includes the high-profile FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum, the IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza, the IIFA Foundation Celebrity Cricket Match, World premieres of Indian films, IIFA Film Workshop and the climax of the Weekend, the spectacular IIFA Awards.

Movie Review Mittal vs Mittal

2010-03-29T23:00:00.000-07:00

Starring: Rohit Roy, Rituparna Sengupta, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy and Gulshan Grover

Director: Karan Razdan

Rating: **

High flying businessman and casanova Karan Mittal (Rohit Roy) sees Mitali (Rituparna) at a fashion show and flips for her. He strikes a friendship with her. Very aggressive in his approach, he tries to take her to bed in a very short time but Mitali doesn’t allow him to.

She also distances herself from him. But then after a few months time he makes re entry in her life and proposes to her. Though she is not prepared for a marriage with him, she eventually decides to get married on her over enthusiastic mom’s (Reema Lagoo) insistence. Her mom doesn’t want to let go of such a big well known business house. But problems crop up immediately after marriage.

Mitali’s mother in law (Dolly Thakore) is the typical high society types who looks down on Mitali’s middle class up bringing and leaves no chance of insulting her every day. But Karan finds fault in Mitali for the same and gets abusive.

When Mitali resists making love to him, he forces himself on her. From then on marital rape becomes a daily thing by Karan. Finally, Mitali decides to call it quits and leaves his house. Aided by a women’s organization she decides to take him to court for marital rape.

She is helped by lawyer Karuna Maheshwari (Suchitra). But their fight is against one of the most cunning defense lawyer, Salunkhe (Gulshan Grover) who on behalf of his client Karan leaves no opportunity to insult Mitali in the court of law.

Mitali is almost on the verge of losing her case but finally the tables turn on Karan due to the appearance of Karan’s hideous past.

The film may be well intended but it is badly executed by director Karan Razdan. It talks about marital rape but the camera goes voyeuristic during the rape scenes.

Instead of making the audience feel angry about the rape, it tries to titillate. However, it is during the court room scenes when the film becomes more serious and bearable. Some important questions are raised and the subject thereon is tackled well.

Technically the film appears shoddy as production values are very average. Music by Shamir Tandon is a big bore.

Rituparna enacts her part well and brings out her helplessness effectively. Rohit Roy suits the role to the T. He is extremely natural. Gulshan Grover as the cool as cucumber defense lawyer is simply excellent. Suchitra Krishnamoorthy enacts her part well. Dolly Thakore is again a perfect casting.

The makers need to be applauded for bringing on screen a necessary subject. However, the film could have been much better and a recommended watch had it not been for the frivolous execution of the marital rape sequences.

Movie Review Shaapit

2010-03-29T22:59:00.002-07:00

Starring: Introducing Aditya Narayan, Shweta Agrawal, Shubh Joshi and Rahul Dev

Director: Vikram Bhatt

Rating: ***

Aman (Aditya) proposes to Kaaya (Shweta) but soon after that, the same night while going to drop her they meet with a car accident. While luckily both escape unhurt, Kaaya's parents request Aman's parents to forget their daughter.

They reveal to them the curse of a Brahmin father under which there family has been for the last 300 years. Due to this curse no girl in their family can get wed and if she plans to or does then death for her is inevitable.

But a deep in love, Aman decides to fight this curse and free Kaaya from it. He along with his friend Shom (Shubh Joshi) decides to take the help of a famous occult professor Pashupati (Rahul Dev). The professor at first avoids helping Aman but after Aman shows him his dedication by taking a risk with a deadly spirit he decides to help him out.

What shocks and thrills are in store for Aman, Shubh and Pashupati and what happens to Aman and Kaaya's love story because of that forms the rest of the film.

Vikram Bhatt has already proved his mettle with the horror genre with super hits like Raaz and 1920. With Shaapit he takes one big leap forward in terms of story telling and technique. There are more than enough terror moments to keep you on the edge of your seats.

Amongst them the best ones are Aman's daring venture into the haunted library, Kaaya's encounter with the spirit on the highway, all four venturing into a dilapidated cinema house and finally the 23 minutes long climax.

Vikram is well aided with outstanding cinematography by his father, veteran cinematographer Pravin Bhatt. Dialogues by Girish Dhamija and the production design by Rajat Poddar is simply excellent. The costumes by Rahil Raja, especially in the scenes depicting times 300 years also deserve special mention.

Raju Rao's background score is effective. Chirantan Bhatt's music is apt for the film. The problem area for the film however lies with the merging of two back stories which gets confusing towards the end.

Aditya Narayan shows no signs of this film being his debut vehicle as a main lead star. He is extremely natural. Also, it's a rare thing for a Bollywood hero to sing his own songs and sing it really well which he does.

Shweta Agrawal is impressive but sadly has nothing much to do in the second half after she is confined to a hospital bed. Shubh Joshi is just perfect for the part. Rahul Dev has portrayed the nonsense professor very well. Natasha Sinha as the wily queen is good. Murli Sharma, Nishigandha Wad as Shweta's parents act ably.

Shaapit is the perfect film for you if you want to experience some real good chills and thrills. This film establishes the fact that when it comes to handling horror films there is no better director than Vikram Bhatt.

Movie Review Lahore

2010-03-29T22:59:00.001-07:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Aanaahad, Sushant Singh, Farouq Shaikh, Shraddha Das, Saurabh Shukla

Directed by Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan

Rating: ***

Combining sports and politics is not an easy thing to do. But then it's not that difficult either considering the two are inextricably intertwined specially in the Asian sub-continent where Pakistani cricketers are forbidden from participating in Indian sports events and Indians don't get visas to visit across the border.

Debutant director Sanjay Puran Singh Chauhan dares to visit the forbidden territory. Lahore is about sports and politics and characters from both the spheres getting embroiled in a terrible fight to finish.

The script accommodates a great deal of the sporting spirit as seen in the perspective of Indo-Pak politics. Within that ambitious framework Chauhan weaves in the human relationships that make a leap for warmth and then stay stuck in semi- sterility. The film has too much to say on sports, politics and human nature. It isn't able to say all of it in a lucid language.

Chauhan has chosen a unique sport like kickboxing to spotlight the process of cultural assimilation that underscores all the perverse politicking that goes on at the surface level between the two countries.

The Indian and Pakistani coaches played by Farouq Shaikh and Sabyasachi Chakavarty are seen to be sportingly at loggerheads, a bit like the coaches in Yashraj Films' Dil Bole Hadippa, though Lahore takes the spirit of sportsmanship across the border with more seriousness of purpose.

In the boxing ring the game gets deadly when the Indian kickboxing champion Sushant Singh is delivered a deadly blow by his Pakistani opponent. A churning-point in the narrative arrived at in restrained rhythms.

This is where Chauhan's narratives comes into its own. The dilemma of the deceased kickboxer's younger brother Veeru (newcomer Aanaahad) to preserve his sporting spirit in the midst of high-voltage mutually-destructive Indo-Pak politics is built into the plot with architectural astuteness.

Not all of the material outside the central conflict where Veeru forsakes cricket to pursue his slain brother's dream in the kickboxing arena, works on the scripting level.

Does Veeru only want to use the boxing ring to avenge his brother's death?

Though the characters falter in quantitative excess, the opposition of sports and politics and politics in sports is put into a persuasive perspective.

The rest of drama tends to get tedious mainly because there are too many characters swarming the Indo-Pak map. We see people from both countries trooping in to scarcely record their presence in the plot before dissolving in the unresolved space that occupies the No Man's Land.

Veeru's romantic attachment to the Pakistani girl (newcomer Shraddha Das) is skirted across in a few scenes where they exchange veiled pleasantries. Passion is seriously forfeited in the flurry of squeezing in a large canvas of characters.

It's in the kickboxing scenes that the film exudes blood sweat and tears. The debutant Aanahaad and his opponent Mukesh Rishi reveal a skill in the ring that cannot leave the audience unaffected. The newcomer does well in the sports scenes but needs to brush up his skills in the emotional moments.

Of the rest of the cast Nafisa Ali, Ashish Vidyarthi, the late Nirmal Pandey and several other talented actors are wasted in sketchy roles. The film's surface is over-populated. But its inner life suggests a sincerity of purpose.

Wayne Sharpe's background score and Neelabh Kaul's cinematography are first-rate.They add to the feeling of a film that goes beyond sports, but stops short of making a statement on life lived on the border of hostility.

Lahore is not only about kick-boxing. At times you wish it was.

Movie Review Love Sex Aur Dhokha

2010-03-29T22:57:00.000-07:00

By Joginder Tuteja

Cast: Anshuman Jha, Shruti, Raj Kumar Yadav, Neha Chauhan, Arya Devdutta, Herry Tangri, Amit Sial

Director: Dibakar Banerjee

Rating: ***

The million dollar question making the rounds is - Does "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" have a story?' The answer is yes. In fact, there are three stories, each of them being shown in episodic manner with 'Love', 'Sex' and 'Dhokha' being the plot drivers for the respective tales

Do they work? Yes, they do though it is apparent that there are ups and downs in the pace of these stories. While each of these stories starts with a bang and has a valid culmination, there is a slight dip that comes in occasionally and makes you pine for some faster movement.

So there is a young couple who fall in love during the shooting of a diploma film, get married secretly and then face the wrath of their family. Since the film is set in a filmmaking school, the presence of a camera right through this story does come across as quite valid.

The second story is about an unemployed young man stationed at a retail shop who takes advantage of a naive girl by capturing their lovemaking moments through a security camera. The third story is about a sting operation where an aspiring dancer gets back on a superstar by capturing the entire casting couch proposal on film. Both these stories have seen quite a few predecessors in real life.

Does the film work with disjointed episodes like this? Certainly yes, if one is willing to drop all preconceived notions about how a feature film should look. This is why after 15 minutes, one has to get used to a shaking camera, sync sound, leading to quite a few audio disturbances and random frame capturing.

However, one does feel that treatment like this comes with its own limitations. Since the film is about how a camera follows the lives of people in every nook and corner, the narrative has to be real and there cannot be any dramatisation of an event.

Nevertheless, this very limitation also works as a strength for Banerjee. Whether it is body language, intimate moments or the framing of a scene, done excellently by Nikos Andritsakis, everything is captured 'as-is'.

Also, be warned that the foul language in the film is as explicit as it gets. Never before in a Hindi film has one heard the kind of cuss words that one hears in "Love Sex Aur Dhokha". Again, quite justified since this is the first film that truly fits into the bracket of 'slice of life'.

"Love Sex Aur Dhokha" couldn't have been what it is without the effort of its cast. Everyone - Anshuman Jha (Rahul), Shruti (Shruti), Raj Kumar Yadav (Adarsh), Neha Chauhan (Rashmi), Arya Devdutta (Naina), Herry Tangri (Loki Local) to Amit Sial (Prabhat) - everyone is superb.

"Love Sex Aur Dhokha" has one factor which completely works for it - its genre which is unconventional, unprecedented and unheard of.

This is a kind of film where a filmmaker can afford to play around without worrying much about universal acceptance. That's exactly the route that "Love Sex Aur Dhokha" takes as it is made for a very niche audience that wants something non-Bollywood.

Road, Movie Review

2010-03-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

Starring: Abhay Deol, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Mohammed Faizal and Satish Kaushik

Director: Dev Benegal

Rating: *1/2

Road, Movie is about the journey of Vishnu (Abhay Deol) who travels miles in a very old truck which often breaks down along the way. Driving through the desert state of Rajasthan, he first befriends a young boy (Mohammed Faizal) who works as a helper in a roadside tea stall.

The boy hitches a ride with him as he wants to go to another village to hunt for a new job. When the truck breaks down for the first time, the boy walks a long distance in the barren land to hunt for a mechanic.

He finally gets one, Om (Satish Kaushik), who agrees to repair the truck on the condition that he would then hitch a ride to the village where a fair is being held.

Along the way, the three meet a gypsy woman (Tannishtha Chatterjee) who is walking in the scorching heat and has a small pouch of water. She shares the water with the thirsty threesome and also joins them in the truck. The truck, which doesn’t belong to Vishnu, has a touring cinema inside.

Vishnu uses the touring cinema in the truck to show movies to the villagers when he is in a tight spot. Om helps him in starting the dilapi dated projector and, in the process of showing movies in the villages, they also make money.

Vishnu is first confronted by a difficult policeman (Virendra Saxena) and later, by the water mafia (Yashpal Sharma and group) along the way, but he manages to save himself, his truck and his travelling friends, thanks to the touring talkies and to the hair-oil bottles he is carrying in cartons to sell at his destination.

He finds himself attracted to wards his woman passenger and they even get physical.

At one stop, Om passes away while enjoying a movie. Finally, it is time for Vishnu to bid the woman and the boy goodbye.

The story (Dev Benegal) offers hardly anything to the audience in India which is not used to watching such road films. Even the screenplay, penned by Dev Benegal himself, is so slow-moving that it actually tests the audience’s patience.

Even a climax in the traditional sense of the word is missing. Frankly, since the hero doesn’t set out on a great mission in the first place, the audience does not experience a feeling of fulfilment in the end, something the public in India is so used to experiencing in every film.

In the same sense, there is no heroism of the hero, Vishnu. Even fans of Abhay Deol and his kind of films would feel let down by the fare on offer. Dialogues (Dev Benegal) are natural and witty, but only at places.

Abhay Deol does a fine job and gets into the skin of his character. He is completely in synch with the mood of the film. Satish Kaushik is also just too natural. He endears himself to the audience with his raw audacity.

Tannishtha Chatterjee gets limited scope and is good. Mohammed Faizal is cute and supremely confident. Yashpal Sharma leaves a mark. Virendra Saxena is effective.

Michael Brook’s music and background score are good. Michel Amathieu’s cinemato graphy and Yaniv Dabach’s editing are nice. But on the whole, Road, Movie is too dull and dry to make an impact among the audience in India.

Well Done Abba

2010-03-29T22:53:00.000-07:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Boman Irani, Minissha Lamba, Sammir Dattani

Directed by Shyam Benegal

Rating: ***

Drawn from the innermost recesses of its extraordinarily versatile profound and prolific creator's mind, somewhat like the water that emerges from Boman Irani's well at the end of this delicately-drawn satire on babu-giri and redtapism, Well Done Abba is a little sparkling gem of a film.

Its humour warmth and tenderness are not as easily obtainable as in Benegal's last comedy Welcome To Sajjanpur which was far more readily and immediately engaging.

Well Done Abba takes longer to settle and sink into our satiated sensibilities.

Long parts of the film describing the Hyderabadi protagonist Armaan Ali (Boman Irani)'s close encounters with babu-giri and the bewildering maze of the bureaucracy (somewhat like Pankaj Kapoor in the serial Office Office) are done with a sense of insouciant indulgence that takes the bite away from the cruelty of watching a man run from one musty office to another trying to get a well dug into his parched backyard.

Everyone wants a bribe. No one wants to do what's right. A world waiting for water to emerge from Mother Earth was recently created in Shayam Benegal's nephew Dev Benegal's Road Movie.

Unlike Dev's film Shayam Benegal's parable on a soul waiting to be nurtured never remains as dry as the landscape it describes.

Thirsty famished Hyderabad is no strange hinterland to the ultra-perceptive Benegal. One of his first feature films Ankur (still considered by many to be his finest) was set in rural Hyderabad. It was real grim and relentlessly dark in showing subjugation and injustice.

Now Shayam Babu—God bless his jaunty soul—has mellowed. His vision is far more forgiving of our beaucratic trespasses. He even chuckles over sex through the characters of Ravi Kissen and Sonali Kulkarni who are forever at it.

Cinematographer Rajen Kothari goes through the cluttered lanes of old Hyderabad with jaunty steps. No one is looking for despair here. It's a life lived at the edges with a zest to seize the day.

The flawed and aberrant characters in Well Done Abba ranging from the embittered police inspector (brilliantly played by the Benegal regular Rajit Kapoor) to the self-serving but not evil politician (Rajendra Gupta) are characters who move dexterously away from the realm of the grotesque and caricatural to becoming signs and representatives of our times.

Standing non-judgementally over the delicate satire Shyam Benegal seems to say….this is the way we are, what to do?

Benegal's characters are not hopeless losers. The director with some skillfully subtle sensitive and sharp writing from screenwriter Ashok Mishra lifts his people from the clammy clutches of corruption and dejection. These are people who exude the sweaty aroma of lived-in people eking out a dignified life from the morass of anarchy.

Benegal's narration is steady tender and in no hurry to make its point. The pace is even and delightfully devoid of anxieties, but sometimes far too crowded with inner explanations.

The canvas is crammed with semi- pivotal characters in the bureaucracy. We are subjected to vignettes from the bureaucrats' home life which seem to unnecessary prolong the film's inevitable progress towards a triumphant finale.

Boman Irani in both his avatars as the Armaan Ali and his seedy twin Rehman Ali renders rollicking wrinkles and creases to the film's over-smooth edges. He's delightful as the bewildered working-class soul, the over-protective father and the near-nirvanic soul at the end who realizes the struggle to have justice is actually a journey towards God.

Minissha Lamba as Boman's spirited daughter gets into the skin of her character with a career-defining determination and emerges with a character who is feisty modern and, yes, Muslim.

Sammir Dattani as the sweet-tempered do-gooder who supports the father and daughter shows a discernible growth as an actor. This film is actually the beginning of a new phase for Dattani.

All three characters hold their Hyderabadi accents in place without slipping out of character for even a minute.

Watch out for all the usual Benegal actors like Lalit Tiwari, Ila Arun, Yashpal Sharma and Ravi Jhankal to newer entrants into this super-prolific director's hall of films like Ravi Kissen (playing an over-sexed Bihari engineer) …they all know what we've known for years.

The world of Shyam Benegal is filled with an anguished realization of moral and political corruption. But by God, Benegal knows how to juice our social milieu in his cinema without seeming exploitative or melodramatic.

Well, done Mr Benegal!

IPL killing Bollywood?

2010-03-29T22:46:00.000-07:00

Aaah, now these are indeed terrible times for Bollywood. One can't pin point on one thing in particular because at the end of it all, this is a vicious circle indeed. Due to IPL, big films are staying away from release.

Due to vacant slots available, medium budget and smaller films are left with no choice but to come in now. Due to coming together of so many films, (most of the) buyers are thinking thrice about investing any more money into the promotion. Due to lack of promotion, audience are not even aware about the release dates, let aside getting enticed enough to step into theaters.

And due to empty theaters, the industry is pretty much heard wailing - 'Oh no, the IPL is at it again. Humein cricket ne doobaa diya'.

My question is - "Why not have a biggie like a 'Houseful' or a 'Kites' or a Shah Rukh/Aamir/Salman starrer dare to release during this period? If that does happen, will the situation not see a major upswing?

Won't a viewer come out of home and step into the dark auditorium to land into the world of fantasy? Won't the situation completely reverse and IPL (or any other sporting event) get defeated off the ground? Why make excuses when you haven't tried at all? Why, why, why?"

This is why when films like 'Well Done Abba', 'Hum Tum Aur Ghost', 'Mittal V/s Mittal', 'Prem Kaa Game' and 'My Friend Ganesha 3' release (how well are they released is a different question altogether) and are met with empty theaters all over, it is no more a case of sympathy that sets in. Instead one feels like going back to the makers and ask them all the 'why-s' as detailed above.

Seriously, can one blame the makers of the films, especially in cases like 'Hum Tum Aur Ghost' and 'Well Done Abba', when buyers like Studio 18 and Big Pictures apparently didn't even go all out in their marketing and promotional campaign.

Ok, so these were not masterpieces in the offering but then they deserved much more than approximately 20%-30% opening that they fetched. As for the remaining three films, well the shoddy production values and treatment made them just the right candidates for an early exit from theaters.

Well, the only introspection point is, the next time a sporting or any other event is blamed, let's look at what industry is itself doing to the products coming out every Friday!