It's difficult to review a film that's so brilliant. I can list a whole bunch of adjectives saying how it's a great work of cinema but better still I can request you to go watch it for yourself and witness the magic unfold in front of your own eyes.
With a very fine SCREENPLAY Taare Zameen Par grips you and from the beginning credits right till the ending your attention remains glued to the screen.
The best thing about the film is definitely the STORY itself, which has never before been seen on the Indian cinema screen. It's a film based on children but it's not exactly a "children's film" – it's a film for everyone, a film everyone should watch and learn from. It teaches you but it does not lecture you and bore you!
To be honest I don't know if a few years ago I would have been able to concentrate on and enjoy a film with no 'hero' taking centre stage because a few years ago we used to have to choose between entertainment or good cinema – usually sacrificing one for the other at least to a certain extent… but Taare Zameen Par proves that 'paisa-vasool entertainment' does not come at the sacrifice of good quality cinema. Here is a film which is not only fantastic cinema but also extremely entertaining.
Taare Zameen Par is not a film about 'herogiri' and there is no love story, neither is there any villain. We are not given a Gabbar nor do we have a Raj-Siman, this is not a film that follows formulas but one that will hopefully open even more doors for our filmmakers! After Chak De India, this is another 'different' film of 2007 that dares to be different without giving up the entertainment quality. *My fingers are definitely crossed for the success of this film, because it deserves it!*
I love children a lot so to me watching a film about children was like being in heaven! Haha… I really enjoyed the film, every single moment of it. Can't wait for the DVD.
As far as the MUSIC goes I wasn't exactly singing the tunes before I saw the film… but now I love the songs! 'Bum Bum Bole' is stuck in my mind; it's so cute and fun! Shaimak Davar did a brilliant job with the natural choreography. 'Maa' is one of the most tear-jerking songs I've watched in my life…the lyrics made me cry and so did the visuals. 'Jame Raho' was fantastic – I loved how the music changed to being more peaceful when we see Ishaan.
The DIRECTION was the main reason I was looking forward to the film. Acknowledged 'perfectionist' Aamir Khan was stepping into the captains shoes – how would his ship sail? There's only one answer to that – it sails smoothly and most perfectly, with no hiccups whatsoever! The 'Aamir Khan stamp' was visible throughout the film and I was surprised at how I could actually feel Aamir's presence in the first half even though (as an actor) he had not appeared at that point. The film consisted of so many beautiful moments that if I began to note them in this review I'd take hours writing this! Hats off to Aamir Khan, who we always knew was one of our best actors and has now proved to be one of our finest filmmakers too.
Getting to the PERFORMANCES I don't know where to start.
Darsheel Safary stole my heart. The boy is a born actor. He's so adorable and everything about him was just perfect – from his facial expressions to body movement and dialogue delivery. He was Ishaan Awasthi! This was I believe the finest performance from a child-artiste since Ayesha Kapoor in Black. The role of Ishaan is a dream role for any actor and this young child performs it with what appears to be such ease. Now, here's an actor to watch out for.
Aamir Khan was simply natural. His expressions are priceless and he looked seriously cute too.
The other young actors, playing the roles of Rajan and Yohan, also did a brilliant job. Tisca Chopra was very good and Vipin Sharma was fantastic! In fact each and every actor did justice to his or her role.
OVERALL… As Taran Adarsh [IndiaFM] rightly puts it, this "isn't one of those films that merely entertains, but also enlightens." To my surprise, I actually agree with Adarsh! Anyone who misses out on TZP is missing out on a lot so do yourselves a favour and go catch the next show playing at your local cinema – you will not be disappointed and I can promise you that much!!
Wednesday, 26 December 2007
Monday, 17 December 2007
Jab We Met [2007]
Imtiaz Ali had already proved his potential as a director in his debut film 'Socha Na Tha'. His style is different… he is fresh, young and unique. His debut film was one of the best in the year it released (2005) so my expectations from 'Jab We Met' were somewhat high.
Since her very early years in the industry Kareena Kapoor had been a "forever favourite" of mine together with Juhi Chawla, Kajol and Rani Mukerji but things changed in the past year as I was no longer impressed by her film or role choices and saw absolutely no hope for her future. Shahid has also been a favourite of mine since his debut and I've continued being a big fan of his, as he continues to deliver very fine performances back to back, but again his career was seemingly going nowhere in terms of success. As a pair I never saw any sparks fly between Shahid and Kareena… I loved 'Fida' and '36 China Town'/'Chup Chup Ke' were not too bad either but I never found the onscreen pairing of Shahid & Kareena attractive at all.
Act 1: 'Jab We Met' vs. 'Socha Na Tha'
In terms of the basic story I do think 'Socha Na Tha' delivered us something more unique and 'Jab We Met' was not as original perhaps. However that's not to say that the former is a better film then the latter – that, I do not believe. If 'SNT' scores one more point in the story department then 'JWM' goes many steps forward in terms of screenplay. This time the screenplay is a lot tighter and in fact the technical values all round are a lot finer (SNT of course was a delayed production so understandably was a bit weaker in the look department).
Just as his first venture Imtiaz Ali once more takes us on a roller coaster ride full of the most exciting twists and turns. 'Jab We Met' is simple and yet so beautiful. It's not complicated but it's far from being ordinary. An intelligent film that would work beautifully with both the multiplex audience and at the same time would not be too hard for the more average cinegoer to understand.
Act 2: Dancing to Pritam's tunes
Even before I saw the film I considered this to be one of the best soundtracks to come out of our industry this year. Watching the film has only made me believe that more strongly.
'Mauja Mauja' is truly rocking. Mika's vocals are fantastic and the song is so foot tapping. However, the song is not placed well in the film and comes only as a music video for the end credits. Nonetheless I can totally understand why they did not choose to eliminate it and kept it as they did – it would be difficult to not use a song which is a definite chartbuster! 'Nagada' is another foot-tapper and the choreography is fantastic too.
'Yeh Ishq Hai', 'Aao Milo Chalo' and 'Tumse Hi' are heavenly beautiful. These songs are easy on the ears and just so fresh to listen to. Shreya Ghosal's rendition of 'Yeh Ishq Hai' should without any doubt sweep each and every one of the female playback singer awards at the upcoming ceremonies. Each of them have been pictured beautifully too and a very special mention goes out to the fantastic locations throughout the film.
'Aaoge Jab Tum' is beautifully sung and though it does not feel as fresh as the others, it's very gentle and peaceful to hear.
Act 4: Characterisation
Each of the characters have been sketched and developed brilliantly. Critic Taran Adarsh (IndiaFM.com) mentioned that the film revolves around the basic saying "opposites attract" but I would argue that somewhere along the line both Geet and Aditya were very similar. If Aditya had a hidden extrovert waiting to be discovered in him then Geet also went through a tough time that matured her. Aditya and Geet are soul mates.
Both characters are demanding and both have enough meat for the actors to dig their teeth right into. Arguably Aditya is the central protagonist of the film, his is the author-backed role. I found myself believing that the writer/director was relating to his character very easily. That is not to say that the character of Geet is any less. The character is as important, as well written and as demanding as Aditya's. Neither role is half-baked and it is because both the characters work that the film works!
Act 5: Performances
Shahid Kapoor delivers yet another flawless, mature and believable performance. He is a complete natural and it kills me to think that he has not been given his due even now. His is definitely the show-stealing performance of the film. Shahid does complete justice to the role and emerges a winner all the way. Though the competition for the Best actor department has been tough this year (Shah Rukh pretty much has stamped his names on the trophies with Chak De India) Shahid at least deserves a nomination if not a couple of awards.
Kareena Kapoor is back and how! This is the Kareena I have loved since day one and was strangely missing in the past year or so but now she is back I have no complaints. She looks absolutely stunning and sets the screen on fire with her unmatchable screen presence. Her performance is definitely worthy of winning the Best actress trophies in the coming award ceremonies, and with no real competition around her this year I have little doubt she wont sweep them – about time! Like Geet said "jo aap real mein chahte hai woh actual mein hota hai" ('what you really want, actually happens' – the dialogue of the film!)
Act 6: The real star… Imtiaz Ali
There is no denying that a director is the captain of the ship. With a captain like Imtiaz Ali you know the film will do anything but sink! He already proved he's a director to reckon with in his first film and now he has yet again consolidated that. With 'SNT' he was one of my favourite 'new' directors but with 'JWM' he has now made it to the list of my favourite directors! 'Jab We Met' is simply FANTASTIC and the entire credit goes to Imtiaz Ali – I cannot express how much I am already looking forward to his next film.
Wrap-up: Overall, Jab We Met…
Full of beautiful moments, this is one film that should be treasured from the 2007 releases. Consisting of fantastic performances, an incredible soundtrack, beautifully written tight screenplay and gorgeous locations – Jab We Met is easily one of the best films released this year and definitely deserved all the success that (rightfully) came its way.
Since her very early years in the industry Kareena Kapoor had been a "forever favourite" of mine together with Juhi Chawla, Kajol and Rani Mukerji but things changed in the past year as I was no longer impressed by her film or role choices and saw absolutely no hope for her future. Shahid has also been a favourite of mine since his debut and I've continued being a big fan of his, as he continues to deliver very fine performances back to back, but again his career was seemingly going nowhere in terms of success. As a pair I never saw any sparks fly between Shahid and Kareena… I loved 'Fida' and '36 China Town'/'Chup Chup Ke' were not too bad either but I never found the onscreen pairing of Shahid & Kareena attractive at all.
Act 1: 'Jab We Met' vs. 'Socha Na Tha'
In terms of the basic story I do think 'Socha Na Tha' delivered us something more unique and 'Jab We Met' was not as original perhaps. However that's not to say that the former is a better film then the latter – that, I do not believe. If 'SNT' scores one more point in the story department then 'JWM' goes many steps forward in terms of screenplay. This time the screenplay is a lot tighter and in fact the technical values all round are a lot finer (SNT of course was a delayed production so understandably was a bit weaker in the look department).
Just as his first venture Imtiaz Ali once more takes us on a roller coaster ride full of the most exciting twists and turns. 'Jab We Met' is simple and yet so beautiful. It's not complicated but it's far from being ordinary. An intelligent film that would work beautifully with both the multiplex audience and at the same time would not be too hard for the more average cinegoer to understand.
Act 2: Dancing to Pritam's tunes
Even before I saw the film I considered this to be one of the best soundtracks to come out of our industry this year. Watching the film has only made me believe that more strongly.
'Mauja Mauja' is truly rocking. Mika's vocals are fantastic and the song is so foot tapping. However, the song is not placed well in the film and comes only as a music video for the end credits. Nonetheless I can totally understand why they did not choose to eliminate it and kept it as they did – it would be difficult to not use a song which is a definite chartbuster! 'Nagada' is another foot-tapper and the choreography is fantastic too.
'Yeh Ishq Hai', 'Aao Milo Chalo' and 'Tumse Hi' are heavenly beautiful. These songs are easy on the ears and just so fresh to listen to. Shreya Ghosal's rendition of 'Yeh Ishq Hai' should without any doubt sweep each and every one of the female playback singer awards at the upcoming ceremonies. Each of them have been pictured beautifully too and a very special mention goes out to the fantastic locations throughout the film.
'Aaoge Jab Tum' is beautifully sung and though it does not feel as fresh as the others, it's very gentle and peaceful to hear.
Act 4: Characterisation
Each of the characters have been sketched and developed brilliantly. Critic Taran Adarsh (IndiaFM.com) mentioned that the film revolves around the basic saying "opposites attract" but I would argue that somewhere along the line both Geet and Aditya were very similar. If Aditya had a hidden extrovert waiting to be discovered in him then Geet also went through a tough time that matured her. Aditya and Geet are soul mates.
Both characters are demanding and both have enough meat for the actors to dig their teeth right into. Arguably Aditya is the central protagonist of the film, his is the author-backed role. I found myself believing that the writer/director was relating to his character very easily. That is not to say that the character of Geet is any less. The character is as important, as well written and as demanding as Aditya's. Neither role is half-baked and it is because both the characters work that the film works!
Act 5: Performances
Shahid Kapoor delivers yet another flawless, mature and believable performance. He is a complete natural and it kills me to think that he has not been given his due even now. His is definitely the show-stealing performance of the film. Shahid does complete justice to the role and emerges a winner all the way. Though the competition for the Best actor department has been tough this year (Shah Rukh pretty much has stamped his names on the trophies with Chak De India) Shahid at least deserves a nomination if not a couple of awards.
Kareena Kapoor is back and how! This is the Kareena I have loved since day one and was strangely missing in the past year or so but now she is back I have no complaints. She looks absolutely stunning and sets the screen on fire with her unmatchable screen presence. Her performance is definitely worthy of winning the Best actress trophies in the coming award ceremonies, and with no real competition around her this year I have little doubt she wont sweep them – about time! Like Geet said "jo aap real mein chahte hai woh actual mein hota hai" ('what you really want, actually happens' – the dialogue of the film!)
Act 6: The real star… Imtiaz Ali
There is no denying that a director is the captain of the ship. With a captain like Imtiaz Ali you know the film will do anything but sink! He already proved he's a director to reckon with in his first film and now he has yet again consolidated that. With 'SNT' he was one of my favourite 'new' directors but with 'JWM' he has now made it to the list of my favourite directors! 'Jab We Met' is simply FANTASTIC and the entire credit goes to Imtiaz Ali – I cannot express how much I am already looking forward to his next film.
Wrap-up: Overall, Jab We Met…
Full of beautiful moments, this is one film that should be treasured from the 2007 releases. Consisting of fantastic performances, an incredible soundtrack, beautifully written tight screenplay and gorgeous locations – Jab We Met is easily one of the best films released this year and definitely deserved all the success that (rightfully) came its way.
Thursday, 6 December 2007
Cheeni Kum [2007]
I'm not going to run around in circles with this review, I'll come straight down to it. Cheeni Kum is a sweet little surprise package with one big downfall – a terribly slow pace.
I didn't know what to expect when I turned the film on, so the film definitely surpassed my expectations in that sense. It is a good film.
However the screenplay writer could have done a far better job. The concept is nice and I like the whole idea of a man only being as old as he feels, after all who knows how many years one will live (regardless to whether they are 16 or 60), right? That was great and I really enjoyed watching the love story between Tabu and Amitabh.
There was a lot of unnecessary stuff going on in the film especially with 'Sexy'. That angle to the film was a slight bit too depressing for such a simple and sweet film; I really think the film could have done without that.
The comedy was brilliant, it was definitely the highlight of the film and I wished there were even more comic moments.
Of course it goes without saying that the film had geographical errors (which film shot overseas doesn't?) but I guess that doesn't really matter because it wasn't a historical, just a simple rom-com mixed with some moral drama.
Amitabh Bachchan is such an amazing actor that one can only attempt at creating a list of adjectives to describe how fine he truly is – you can never do justice to his talent with mere words. Cheeni Kum sees Amitabh at his best – that's the finest compliment I can give I guess? lol… His dialogue delivery (again, need I say it?) is mind blowing! His expressions and body language are unmatchable. He's a natural and this is yet another feather in his cap. A brilliant role in his resume and an equally brilliant performance – hats off to him.
Tabu is an actress who is so often praised to the sky and I'm always wondering "yes she is good, but is she that good? I don't think so". Frankly, I'm not a Tabassum fan. Having said that, I'm far from being a detractor too! She's definitely an actress of substance, she is talented, but I don't think she has had the chance of proving her versatility – Cheeni Kum is definitely a step forward for her. I really wish she worked harder on her dialogue delivery though because that's the only thing about her that never manages to impress me. Her looks – wow! She looked so stunningly gorgeous. The performance too is definitely my most favourite from her. Here's hoping she gets the opportunity to portray such roles again in the near future.
Both actors shared great 'chemistry' and looked fantastic together, their acting styles truly complimented one another.
Zohra Sehgal, Paresh Rawal and the others also did a fine job. Oh and it was really nice to see Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin's Aryan there (as Sexy's dad).
Overall, Cheeni Kum is a sweet and simple film and definitely worth the watch. Its only real downsides are the horribly slow pace and weak screenplay. Rating-wise I'd go for something like 6/10 – good but could have been better.
I didn't know what to expect when I turned the film on, so the film definitely surpassed my expectations in that sense. It is a good film.
However the screenplay writer could have done a far better job. The concept is nice and I like the whole idea of a man only being as old as he feels, after all who knows how many years one will live (regardless to whether they are 16 or 60), right? That was great and I really enjoyed watching the love story between Tabu and Amitabh.
There was a lot of unnecessary stuff going on in the film especially with 'Sexy'. That angle to the film was a slight bit too depressing for such a simple and sweet film; I really think the film could have done without that.
The comedy was brilliant, it was definitely the highlight of the film and I wished there were even more comic moments.
Of course it goes without saying that the film had geographical errors (which film shot overseas doesn't?) but I guess that doesn't really matter because it wasn't a historical, just a simple rom-com mixed with some moral drama.
Amitabh Bachchan is such an amazing actor that one can only attempt at creating a list of adjectives to describe how fine he truly is – you can never do justice to his talent with mere words. Cheeni Kum sees Amitabh at his best – that's the finest compliment I can give I guess? lol… His dialogue delivery (again, need I say it?) is mind blowing! His expressions and body language are unmatchable. He's a natural and this is yet another feather in his cap. A brilliant role in his resume and an equally brilliant performance – hats off to him.
Tabu is an actress who is so often praised to the sky and I'm always wondering "yes she is good, but is she that good? I don't think so". Frankly, I'm not a Tabassum fan. Having said that, I'm far from being a detractor too! She's definitely an actress of substance, she is talented, but I don't think she has had the chance of proving her versatility – Cheeni Kum is definitely a step forward for her. I really wish she worked harder on her dialogue delivery though because that's the only thing about her that never manages to impress me. Her looks – wow! She looked so stunningly gorgeous. The performance too is definitely my most favourite from her. Here's hoping she gets the opportunity to portray such roles again in the near future.
Both actors shared great 'chemistry' and looked fantastic together, their acting styles truly complimented one another.
Zohra Sehgal, Paresh Rawal and the others also did a fine job. Oh and it was really nice to see Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin's Aryan there (as Sexy's dad).
Overall, Cheeni Kum is a sweet and simple film and definitely worth the watch. Its only real downsides are the horribly slow pace and weak screenplay. Rating-wise I'd go for something like 6/10 – good but could have been better.
Heyy Babyy [2007]
I am a huge fan of Sajid Nadiadwala and to be frank I don't remember ever disliking a film made under his banner. Therefore my expectations from Heyy Babyy were pretty high – I expected a full on entertainer. I was looking forward to the film from the days the promotion began so I was quite disappointed when I never got around to watching it in the cinemas when it released back in August. Thankfully my sister bought the DVD as soon as it released a few weeks ago and we gave it watch this gone weekend.
Heyy Babyy sees the directorial debut of Sajid Khan – someone we all know as a great entertainer, someone so funny and hilarious that you wonder if he's ever serious, so it's no surprise that he decided to start his directorial journey with a comedy! But don't be mistaken because the film does do something a bit more serious. It teaches you without lecturing you, it holds a moral message about something so simple that it's taken for granted and often forgotten – responsibility.
It comes as no surprise that Heyy Babyy excels as a comedy and truly makes you laugh your heart out! It is hilarious. Director Sajid Khan excels. The sensitive way in which the relationship between the three men and Angel is portrayed is so heart-warming and Sajid has truly proved his worth as a filmmaker – he's not just a comedian, not just an entertainer, he is an excellent filmmaker to watch out for.
As always producer Sajid Nadiadwala leaves no stone unturned and has done everything necessary to make Heyy Babyy a quality product. The Australian locales are beautiful and refreshing to say the least. The costumes are lovely and the cinematography compliments the locations/sets.
Initially I was not too impressed with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's work in this soundtrack but watching the film has made me like each and every song. From the title track and 'Dholna' to 'Mast Kalandar', 'Meri Duniya' and 'Jaane Bhi De', each song remarkably fits well into the film. The choreography too deserves to be applauded.
The story is definitely fresh and unique for an Indian movie and the screenplay has been written with excellence, never once are you given a moment to fall bored.
The performances only add further brilliance to the film.
Akshay Kumar proved why he is the unmatchable king of comedy. Being popularly known as the Action 'Khiladi' man of Indian cinema, who would have thought that years down the line he would have featured in some of our best comedies and make us laugh so much? His expressions and dialogue delivery are perfect. Oh his part Heyy Babyy is yet again evidence to prove that he is one of our finest actors!
Fardeen Khan is in superb form and churns out yet another brilliant performance this year after the more restrained performance in Just Married. It makes one wonder why the actor has not achieved much success in the industry, because he definitely has the capabilities of a very fine actor.
Ritesh Deshmukh excels. His expressions are so fantastic and he has definitely been blessed with fantastic comic timing and the most natural flare for comedy.
'Angel' Baby is gorgeous! What else can I say about her? She's already a superstar, God bless her cotton socks.
The interaction and "chemistry" between Akshay, Fardeen, Ritesh and 'Angel' is very special to watch, you really cannot imagine anyone else portraying the roles the three guys have done with such precision.
Vidya Balan attempts a more modern and 'filmi' role compared to her previous attempts and I'm disappointed to say that she is not able to carry it off as well as one would hope or expect. She is far better suited to the more traditional, sweet or serious roles. The 'chic' image doesn't really go too well with her. Not to say she did a bad job – she didn't, she did a good enough job and bought the character to life, but I have higher expectations from her. Perhaps someone like Lara Dutta would have bought that extra something I was searching for to this role.
Boman Irani surprisingly has quite a good role and as always did complete justice. Everyone else was fantastic too. It was hilarious to see the SRK-Anupam portion, but I was a little bit upset with Sajid because I'm not too happy with the whole idea of Simran having left Raj – that kind of killed me inside for a moment….haha!
Overall, balancing comedy and drama with perfection Heyy Babyy proves to be one of the finest films of this year. A novel concept and fantastic performances packaged with beautiful songs, locations and choreography – this is definitely a winner all the way and there's no surprise as to why it achieved such great figures at the box office. After a disappointing run at the Box office with Jaanemann, Sajid Nadiadwala is truly back – and how!
In terms of a numerical rating, I guess I'd give the film an 8 on 10.
Heyy Babyy sees the directorial debut of Sajid Khan – someone we all know as a great entertainer, someone so funny and hilarious that you wonder if he's ever serious, so it's no surprise that he decided to start his directorial journey with a comedy! But don't be mistaken because the film does do something a bit more serious. It teaches you without lecturing you, it holds a moral message about something so simple that it's taken for granted and often forgotten – responsibility.
It comes as no surprise that Heyy Babyy excels as a comedy and truly makes you laugh your heart out! It is hilarious. Director Sajid Khan excels. The sensitive way in which the relationship between the three men and Angel is portrayed is so heart-warming and Sajid has truly proved his worth as a filmmaker – he's not just a comedian, not just an entertainer, he is an excellent filmmaker to watch out for.
As always producer Sajid Nadiadwala leaves no stone unturned and has done everything necessary to make Heyy Babyy a quality product. The Australian locales are beautiful and refreshing to say the least. The costumes are lovely and the cinematography compliments the locations/sets.
Initially I was not too impressed with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's work in this soundtrack but watching the film has made me like each and every song. From the title track and 'Dholna' to 'Mast Kalandar', 'Meri Duniya' and 'Jaane Bhi De', each song remarkably fits well into the film. The choreography too deserves to be applauded.
The story is definitely fresh and unique for an Indian movie and the screenplay has been written with excellence, never once are you given a moment to fall bored.
The performances only add further brilliance to the film.
Akshay Kumar proved why he is the unmatchable king of comedy. Being popularly known as the Action 'Khiladi' man of Indian cinema, who would have thought that years down the line he would have featured in some of our best comedies and make us laugh so much? His expressions and dialogue delivery are perfect. Oh his part Heyy Babyy is yet again evidence to prove that he is one of our finest actors!
Fardeen Khan is in superb form and churns out yet another brilliant performance this year after the more restrained performance in Just Married. It makes one wonder why the actor has not achieved much success in the industry, because he definitely has the capabilities of a very fine actor.
Ritesh Deshmukh excels. His expressions are so fantastic and he has definitely been blessed with fantastic comic timing and the most natural flare for comedy.
'Angel' Baby is gorgeous! What else can I say about her? She's already a superstar, God bless her cotton socks.
The interaction and "chemistry" between Akshay, Fardeen, Ritesh and 'Angel' is very special to watch, you really cannot imagine anyone else portraying the roles the three guys have done with such precision.
Vidya Balan attempts a more modern and 'filmi' role compared to her previous attempts and I'm disappointed to say that she is not able to carry it off as well as one would hope or expect. She is far better suited to the more traditional, sweet or serious roles. The 'chic' image doesn't really go too well with her. Not to say she did a bad job – she didn't, she did a good enough job and bought the character to life, but I have higher expectations from her. Perhaps someone like Lara Dutta would have bought that extra something I was searching for to this role.
Boman Irani surprisingly has quite a good role and as always did complete justice. Everyone else was fantastic too. It was hilarious to see the SRK-Anupam portion, but I was a little bit upset with Sajid because I'm not too happy with the whole idea of Simran having left Raj – that kind of killed me inside for a moment….haha!
Overall, balancing comedy and drama with perfection Heyy Babyy proves to be one of the finest films of this year. A novel concept and fantastic performances packaged with beautiful songs, locations and choreography – this is definitely a winner all the way and there's no surprise as to why it achieved such great figures at the box office. After a disappointing run at the Box office with Jaanemann, Sajid Nadiadwala is truly back – and how!
In terms of a numerical rating, I guess I'd give the film an 8 on 10.
Tuesday, 4 December 2007
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag [2007]
Even though I'm a diehard YRF and Rani fan, and loved Parineeta a lot (consider it a classic), I decided to give this one a miss in the cinema. Do I regret that decision? Yes, it was a dumb decision but not entirely my fault…in fact I blame YRF…they promoted this film like such a piece of boring crap!
My first assumption was that LCMD would be extremely boring and slow paced. I was wrong. It's not slow paced at all and doesn't drag at any point, it moves at a very fast pace in fact! The film consists of a very good screenplay and fine editing.
Another reason why I wasn't looking forward to it as much as I wish I had was because of the ridiculously stupid soundtrack. Even today I feel the music of this film is absolutely crap (no other word can describe it better)! Almost every song is horribly boring to listen to. 'Ik Theeki Theeki Si Ladki' is the only song that comes close to being decent.
Well we have this really dumb family from some village in Benaras, where everyone is either stupid, naïve or overreacts. Then we have this much calmer and cooler family (Abhi/Kunal's). Oh and throw a few gunda's and vamps in there too. The story isn't that exciting, it's quite predictable run off the mill stuff so I won't bother analysing that.
Compared to Parineeta, LCMD is quite a mediocre product from Pradeep Sarkar. It's not a classic (far from it!) however it is a good film nonetheless and it definitely has the repeatability factor (I can Imagine myself watching this DVD quite often).
Performance-wise the film obviously (as expected) belongs to Rani Mukerji. Rani delivers a perfectly natural and flawless performance, but that's obviously normal coming from her. She looks stunningly gorgeous and does complete justice to her role. However, I honestly do not feel this film gave her much as an actress – the character was not that exciting for her and I think she sleepwalked through it. There was nothing wrong with the way the character was written or anything, it's just that it wasn't as challenging a role as I had assumed it would be.
Jaya Bachchan is okay. I guess we can wait however long we want but Jaya Badhuri will never return – she has been replaced by this actress instead, who is not a patch on Badhuri and just about did an average job. Konkona Sen Sharma disappoints. She tried hard but did not seem to fit into the role very well. There are times when she shines like a star and other times when she fades into the background like a junior artiste. Kunal Kapoor is fantastic. He impressed me a lot. He's a brilliant actor with so much potential and made the most of his role here.
Abhishek Bachchan has nothing to do but being the natural he is, he does whatever he has to do with complete conviction. Anupam Kher had nothing to do either but done nicely in whatever he did. Others were okay.
The ending of the film seems to have created quite a stir with the audience. I personally accepted it fine… I don't have any objections with Rohan falling in love with and wanting to marry Bhatki, even after knowing of her profession. However one thing I did find hideous, old fashioned and pathetic was that we were shown the marriage of the couples at the end… what was that all about? Were we meant to throw flowers at the screen and cry out of happiness? Erm…no thanks. That just murdered the film for me… really stupid and old fashioned ending. It should have ended when Bhatki and Rohan hugged after confessing their love and accepting each other – that would've worked better for the film.
OVERALL, LCMD is a good entertainer… it's not the best film, it's not earth-shattering, but it is very entertaining and kept me glued to the screen throughout. I liked it and it was definitely better then I expected.
My first assumption was that LCMD would be extremely boring and slow paced. I was wrong. It's not slow paced at all and doesn't drag at any point, it moves at a very fast pace in fact! The film consists of a very good screenplay and fine editing.
Another reason why I wasn't looking forward to it as much as I wish I had was because of the ridiculously stupid soundtrack. Even today I feel the music of this film is absolutely crap (no other word can describe it better)! Almost every song is horribly boring to listen to. 'Ik Theeki Theeki Si Ladki' is the only song that comes close to being decent.
Well we have this really dumb family from some village in Benaras, where everyone is either stupid, naïve or overreacts. Then we have this much calmer and cooler family (Abhi/Kunal's). Oh and throw a few gunda's and vamps in there too. The story isn't that exciting, it's quite predictable run off the mill stuff so I won't bother analysing that.
Compared to Parineeta, LCMD is quite a mediocre product from Pradeep Sarkar. It's not a classic (far from it!) however it is a good film nonetheless and it definitely has the repeatability factor (I can Imagine myself watching this DVD quite often).
Performance-wise the film obviously (as expected) belongs to Rani Mukerji. Rani delivers a perfectly natural and flawless performance, but that's obviously normal coming from her. She looks stunningly gorgeous and does complete justice to her role. However, I honestly do not feel this film gave her much as an actress – the character was not that exciting for her and I think she sleepwalked through it. There was nothing wrong with the way the character was written or anything, it's just that it wasn't as challenging a role as I had assumed it would be.
Jaya Bachchan is okay. I guess we can wait however long we want but Jaya Badhuri will never return – she has been replaced by this actress instead, who is not a patch on Badhuri and just about did an average job. Konkona Sen Sharma disappoints. She tried hard but did not seem to fit into the role very well. There are times when she shines like a star and other times when she fades into the background like a junior artiste. Kunal Kapoor is fantastic. He impressed me a lot. He's a brilliant actor with so much potential and made the most of his role here.
Abhishek Bachchan has nothing to do but being the natural he is, he does whatever he has to do with complete conviction. Anupam Kher had nothing to do either but done nicely in whatever he did. Others were okay.
The ending of the film seems to have created quite a stir with the audience. I personally accepted it fine… I don't have any objections with Rohan falling in love with and wanting to marry Bhatki, even after knowing of her profession. However one thing I did find hideous, old fashioned and pathetic was that we were shown the marriage of the couples at the end… what was that all about? Were we meant to throw flowers at the screen and cry out of happiness? Erm…no thanks. That just murdered the film for me… really stupid and old fashioned ending. It should have ended when Bhatki and Rohan hugged after confessing their love and accepting each other – that would've worked better for the film.
OVERALL, LCMD is a good entertainer… it's not the best film, it's not earth-shattering, but it is very entertaining and kept me glued to the screen throughout. I liked it and it was definitely better then I expected.
Thursday, 29 November 2007
Bhagam Bhaag [2006]
I had seen this in "fast-forward motion" earlier on haha but never actually watched it properly, so it was fun to actually sit down and watch it... and surprisingly enjoy it!
A comic thriller isn't a common genre in our industry so I found the twists/turns quite surprising.
Akshay was fantastic. As expected, he totally stole the show. Govinda was brilliant, he'll always be the King of comedy. Paresh is someone I am far from being a fan of, in fact I kind of dislike watching him, but he did a decent job.
Everyone else was good enough too. Lara looked gorgeous and it was a nice surprise to see Arbaaz and Jackie.
Priyadarshan isn't really my kind of filmmaker. However, BB turned out to be a really good entertainer. A nice, fun, de-stressing entertainer.
Nanhe Jaisalmer [2007]
I expected a lot from this film and I was really happy when my sister bought the DVD (without us having watched it even haha).
The highlight of the film is it's concept. It's unique and appealing. As a diehard film-buff and an extremely star-struck person, I could totally associate with Nanhe's character and at times I would relate with parts of the film a lot.
The downside of the film is that it begins to feel as though it's dragging. It's strange that a lot of films set in Rajesthan tend to have this slow-feel to them haha... I guess with NJ it's because the concept is so straight forward and revolving around a little kid, and it's a simple film with no huge drama going on and no stupid sub-plots.
The music of the film is not all that great. The only song that stands out is the title track which is heart-warming and beautiful in terms of both audio and visuals.
Bobby Deol delivers a fine performance as always. He is an extremely natural actor and did complete justice to his character. I fail to understand why some critics of the film felt that he was not a big enough superstar for the film? That's one of the most ridiculous and pathetic comments any critic could ever make. He didn't have to break any grounds with this performance but he did whatever it required with ease and perfection.
The show stealer is of course the young child artiste Dwij Yadav. I didn't expect him to churn out such a brilliant performance, as he did. He suited the role wonderfilly and proved to be a great performer. The film carries itself on his shoulders! Everything from his expressions to dialogue delivery is great.
Vatsal Seth was a very nice surprise. I really like this boy and I wish he became more successful.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nanhe Jaisalmer and I'm glad it's been added to my DVD collection. I don't know if it has repeatability factor (the fact that it drives at such a slow pace makes me doubt that I'll see it much again) but nonetheless it is a worthwhile watch and I recommend it to everyone. A sweet, simple and adorable film with a very unexpected and surprising twist towards the end.
The highlight of the film is it's concept. It's unique and appealing. As a diehard film-buff and an extremely star-struck person, I could totally associate with Nanhe's character and at times I would relate with parts of the film a lot.
The downside of the film is that it begins to feel as though it's dragging. It's strange that a lot of films set in Rajesthan tend to have this slow-feel to them haha... I guess with NJ it's because the concept is so straight forward and revolving around a little kid, and it's a simple film with no huge drama going on and no stupid sub-plots.
The music of the film is not all that great. The only song that stands out is the title track which is heart-warming and beautiful in terms of both audio and visuals.
Bobby Deol delivers a fine performance as always. He is an extremely natural actor and did complete justice to his character. I fail to understand why some critics of the film felt that he was not a big enough superstar for the film? That's one of the most ridiculous and pathetic comments any critic could ever make. He didn't have to break any grounds with this performance but he did whatever it required with ease and perfection.
The show stealer is of course the young child artiste Dwij Yadav. I didn't expect him to churn out such a brilliant performance, as he did. He suited the role wonderfilly and proved to be a great performer. The film carries itself on his shoulders! Everything from his expressions to dialogue delivery is great.
Vatsal Seth was a very nice surprise. I really like this boy and I wish he became more successful.
Overall, I really enjoyed Nanhe Jaisalmer and I'm glad it's been added to my DVD collection. I don't know if it has repeatability factor (the fact that it drives at such a slow pace makes me doubt that I'll see it much again) but nonetheless it is a worthwhile watch and I recommend it to everyone. A sweet, simple and adorable film with a very unexpected and surprising twist towards the end.
Monday, 12 November 2007
Darling [2007]
I saw this movie sometime ago... I think it was in September or October? Not sure to be honest. I was too busy to review it at that point and now I'm not remembering too much *umm..* so this is going to be brief haha
Fardeen Khan is superb and delivers an excellent performance.
Esha Deol is simply fantastic. Not only does she look incredibly gorgeous but churns out a brilliant performance too, definitely one of her career-best.
Isha Kopikar impresses and surpassed what I expected from her.
The music is brilliant, each and every song is really catchy.
The screenplay is the only department which lets the film down.
Overall...The film is everything you expect from an RGV film. It keeps you gripped and does well in entertaining you. It's not a perfect film and could've been a lot better, but nonetheless I'm glad I saw it. The highlight is definitely the performances delivered by the lead cast.
Fardeen Khan is superb and delivers an excellent performance.
Esha Deol is simply fantastic. Not only does she look incredibly gorgeous but churns out a brilliant performance too, definitely one of her career-best.
Isha Kopikar impresses and surpassed what I expected from her.
The music is brilliant, each and every song is really catchy.
The screenplay is the only department which lets the film down.
Overall...The film is everything you expect from an RGV film. It keeps you gripped and does well in entertaining you. It's not a perfect film and could've been a lot better, but nonetheless I'm glad I saw it. The highlight is definitely the performances delivered by the lead cast.
Zindagi Rocks [2006]
I saw it last night 'coz I had nothing better to do. Usually I like Tanuja Chandra's films but this time I'm really confused about it.
It was alright, a good time pass I guess. But someone please tell me why it was called Zindagi Rocks? It should've been called Zindagi Sucks because it was so depressing and life really does suck, especially what was shown of life in the film.
Shiney Ahuja is the worst narrator a film could have. His voice kept on putting me to sleep. His dialogue delivery is seriously stupid. He looked yellow throughout the film and needs to hire a new makeup artiste. Expressions and body language were fine.
Sushmita Sen was annoying as she usually is these days but I'd still credit her for the effort put in. It was a decent performance. She looked gorgeous, though that spot on the side of her nose kept on jumping out at me!
Kimmy was just simply adorable and gorgeous, I wish she had more scope in the film.
The little boy looked like a girl (I swear he threads his eyebrows?!) but he was still cute and he churned out a good performance nonetheless.
Maushami and everyone else did a good enough job too.
The soundtrack by Anu Malik is disappointing. Ugly songs!
Overall, it's a strange film and I have mixed feelings about it to be honest. I don't regret watching it, it has it's moments... But it had potential to be better then it was.
It was alright, a good time pass I guess. But someone please tell me why it was called Zindagi Rocks? It should've been called Zindagi Sucks because it was so depressing and life really does suck, especially what was shown of life in the film.
Shiney Ahuja is the worst narrator a film could have. His voice kept on putting me to sleep. His dialogue delivery is seriously stupid. He looked yellow throughout the film and needs to hire a new makeup artiste. Expressions and body language were fine.
Sushmita Sen was annoying as she usually is these days but I'd still credit her for the effort put in. It was a decent performance. She looked gorgeous, though that spot on the side of her nose kept on jumping out at me!
Kimmy was just simply adorable and gorgeous, I wish she had more scope in the film.
The little boy looked like a girl (I swear he threads his eyebrows?!) but he was still cute and he churned out a good performance nonetheless.
Maushami and everyone else did a good enough job too.
The soundtrack by Anu Malik is disappointing. Ugly songs!
Overall, it's a strange film and I have mixed feelings about it to be honest. I don't regret watching it, it has it's moments... But it had potential to be better then it was.
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Om Shanti Om [2007]
Om Shanti Om
Reviewed by Manpreet Bhandal
Shah Rukh is like God to me, I love him more then I can express with words. I'm also a huge fan of Farah (be it as a person, director or choreographer) and 'Main Hoon Na' is one of my favourite films, I think 'Main Hoon Na' epitomises entertainment! However, due to the "diwali clash" I didn't have time to be excited for 'Om Shanti Om'. It was still the album I listened to most [second to 'Saawariya' only] on my iPod, but I wasn't as excited as I usually am for Shah Rukh's films because it just didn't appeal to me from the promos.
To get the downsides out of the way first: The story is nothing outstanding or new, we've been there and seen that. The screenplay confuses at times and the editing could have been a lot sharper.
The best parts of the film (which make it worth every minute):
* The beginning with Rishi's song "Om Shanti Om" from Karz – that was truly awesome and unexpected!
* The choreography of 'Dhoom Taana'…a very special mention to the special effects – the way they bought in the actors from their old films and 'stuck' them in the frame with Deepika haha that was so fantastic!!
* The entire "Mind It" scene LOL! That is the funniest scene of the film!!!
* Shah Rukh's re-introduction in the second half
* The discussion about the strange film where Shah Rukh's character can't hear/speak/move or anything
* The entire Filmfare sequence… Amisha/Dia part was too funny! Abhishek's Dhoom 5 was hilarious! Akshay Kumar's 'Return of Khiladi' is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever seen…OMG his "gun" *ahem* Hahah! Hats off to Akshay, he almost stole the show in the entire film with that bloody hilarious sequence LOL… the red carpet with Bappi Lahri, Hrithik, Rakesh, Abhi, Amitabh, Rani, Preity, Bipasha… was fantastic. Especially the girl's "OK and me…we're just good friends" LOL
* Deewangee. Enough said. Everyone looked bloody gorgeous and was such a treat to see!! I could write a separate review for this song but that would get ridiculous. Definitely a highlight!
* Training Sandy to become more like Shantipriya… Sandy was such a laugh!
* The twist that it was actually Shantipriya in the climax scene and not Sandy!
First half / Second half: There are no two ways about it, I by far and large preferred the second half! It was so cute and funny and had so many more good moments as compared to the first half!! The whole 70s spoof got really boring after some time so the first half started to drag sadly… But the second half had me in splits quite a lot…
Classifying genre: Well, it's a "masaala film"…it has a bit of everything… but I definitely preferred the comic moments. The romantic and emotional/tragic parts were dealt with really poorly and not at all impressive, but the comedy made up for that… there were some really good comic moments!
Music: I'm not a fan of this soundtrack but it's good. I wish Farah had taken Anu once again though ('MHN' is such an amazing album!)… Audio-wise my favourite song is 'Dhoom Taana' but a couple of the others are nice too.
Performances:
Shah Rukh Khan What can I say? He's SRK, he's always great… The role doesn't challenge him, so that's disappointing, but performance-wise he does a natural job as always and lives the role(s) of Om to perfection. He was damn cute in the first half and his "hunky cool" act in the second part had me laughing so much, bless! However, his makeup artiste needs to be sued (does he even have one?) because Shah Rukh was looking way too wrinkly in this movie and that didn't do well with the character being quite a young guy!
Deepika Padukone This girl really impressed me! I am so happy with her… She's just so adorable!!! It's great that we've got such lovely new talent in the industry and I'm so happy that this weekend I've seen Ranbir, Sonam and Deepika make their way into our cinema… these three will rock our industry and totally rule! Deepika is a born superstar, she has fantastic screen presence. It's sad that she didn't get to dub for herself and the role doesn't demand much of her as an actress, but she does make the most of whatever she's been given to do and she shows very promising signs, good job…I like!
Shreyas Talpade This is the first time I saw Shreyas act I think… And to be honest he was good but not great. He did justice to his role but he came across as a cheap version of Ritesh Deshmukh to me. Shreyas is really cute but Ritesh would've done this role better and would have left a more remarkable impact.
Arjun Rampal I've always liked Arjun! He's good looking and a good actor but he's never been given recognition as an actor. He churns out yet another very good performance here.
Kiron Kher This woman is perhaps the most rocking onscreen mother we have today. I'd choose her over Jaya Bachchan any day!! She's a laugh and she's just so full of energy, and not to mention she shares beautiful chemistry with Shah Rukh.
Others from Satish Shah to Bindu to every single character artiste did a decent/good job, all of them were impressive.
Overall, I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with 'OSO' because frankly I'm not. It was a nice and cute entertainer and I had a nice time watching it, in fact I will for sure buy the DVD when it comes (but then for heavens sake I have the DVD of Maya Memsaab too) and I will probably watch it a few times more at least when it releases… I don't think 'OSO' is at all as good as 'MHN', 'MHN' is far superior in every single department, however it's a nice watch and a recommended entertainer/pass-time!
Reviewed by Manpreet Bhandal
Shah Rukh is like God to me, I love him more then I can express with words. I'm also a huge fan of Farah (be it as a person, director or choreographer) and 'Main Hoon Na' is one of my favourite films, I think 'Main Hoon Na' epitomises entertainment! However, due to the "diwali clash" I didn't have time to be excited for 'Om Shanti Om'. It was still the album I listened to most [second to 'Saawariya' only] on my iPod, but I wasn't as excited as I usually am for Shah Rukh's films because it just didn't appeal to me from the promos.
To get the downsides out of the way first: The story is nothing outstanding or new, we've been there and seen that. The screenplay confuses at times and the editing could have been a lot sharper.
The best parts of the film (which make it worth every minute):
* The beginning with Rishi's song "Om Shanti Om" from Karz – that was truly awesome and unexpected!
* The choreography of 'Dhoom Taana'…a very special mention to the special effects – the way they bought in the actors from their old films and 'stuck' them in the frame with Deepika haha that was so fantastic!!
* The entire "Mind It" scene LOL! That is the funniest scene of the film!!!
* Shah Rukh's re-introduction in the second half
* The discussion about the strange film where Shah Rukh's character can't hear/speak/move or anything
* The entire Filmfare sequence… Amisha/Dia part was too funny! Abhishek's Dhoom 5 was hilarious! Akshay Kumar's 'Return of Khiladi' is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever seen…OMG his "gun" *ahem* Hahah! Hats off to Akshay, he almost stole the show in the entire film with that bloody hilarious sequence LOL… the red carpet with Bappi Lahri, Hrithik, Rakesh, Abhi, Amitabh, Rani, Preity, Bipasha… was fantastic. Especially the girl's "OK and me…we're just good friends" LOL
* Deewangee. Enough said. Everyone looked bloody gorgeous and was such a treat to see!! I could write a separate review for this song but that would get ridiculous. Definitely a highlight!
* Training Sandy to become more like Shantipriya… Sandy was such a laugh!
* The twist that it was actually Shantipriya in the climax scene and not Sandy!
First half / Second half: There are no two ways about it, I by far and large preferred the second half! It was so cute and funny and had so many more good moments as compared to the first half!! The whole 70s spoof got really boring after some time so the first half started to drag sadly… But the second half had me in splits quite a lot…
Classifying genre: Well, it's a "masaala film"…it has a bit of everything… but I definitely preferred the comic moments. The romantic and emotional/tragic parts were dealt with really poorly and not at all impressive, but the comedy made up for that… there were some really good comic moments!
Music: I'm not a fan of this soundtrack but it's good. I wish Farah had taken Anu once again though ('MHN' is such an amazing album!)… Audio-wise my favourite song is 'Dhoom Taana' but a couple of the others are nice too.
Performances:
Shah Rukh Khan What can I say? He's SRK, he's always great… The role doesn't challenge him, so that's disappointing, but performance-wise he does a natural job as always and lives the role(s) of Om to perfection. He was damn cute in the first half and his "hunky cool" act in the second part had me laughing so much, bless! However, his makeup artiste needs to be sued (does he even have one?) because Shah Rukh was looking way too wrinkly in this movie and that didn't do well with the character being quite a young guy!
Deepika Padukone This girl really impressed me! I am so happy with her… She's just so adorable!!! It's great that we've got such lovely new talent in the industry and I'm so happy that this weekend I've seen Ranbir, Sonam and Deepika make their way into our cinema… these three will rock our industry and totally rule! Deepika is a born superstar, she has fantastic screen presence. It's sad that she didn't get to dub for herself and the role doesn't demand much of her as an actress, but she does make the most of whatever she's been given to do and she shows very promising signs, good job…I like!
Shreyas Talpade This is the first time I saw Shreyas act I think… And to be honest he was good but not great. He did justice to his role but he came across as a cheap version of Ritesh Deshmukh to me. Shreyas is really cute but Ritesh would've done this role better and would have left a more remarkable impact.
Arjun Rampal I've always liked Arjun! He's good looking and a good actor but he's never been given recognition as an actor. He churns out yet another very good performance here.
Kiron Kher This woman is perhaps the most rocking onscreen mother we have today. I'd choose her over Jaya Bachchan any day!! She's a laugh and she's just so full of energy, and not to mention she shares beautiful chemistry with Shah Rukh.
Others from Satish Shah to Bindu to every single character artiste did a decent/good job, all of them were impressive.
Overall, I wouldn't say I'm disappointed with 'OSO' because frankly I'm not. It was a nice and cute entertainer and I had a nice time watching it, in fact I will for sure buy the DVD when it comes (but then for heavens sake I have the DVD of Maya Memsaab too) and I will probably watch it a few times more at least when it releases… I don't think 'OSO' is at all as good as 'MHN', 'MHN' is far superior in every single department, however it's a nice watch and a recommended entertainer/pass-time!
Saturday, 10 November 2007
Saawariya [2007]
Saawariya
Reviewed by Manpreet Bhandal
[As this is a review of the film, it may consist of spoilers so beware incase..]
Expectations: 'Khamoshi', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', ' Devdas' and 'Black'… there's little I can say to describe, without taking too much time, just how brilliant each one of these four films are. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not only a filmmaker beyond excellence but also someone who cannot get enough of churning out films nothing short of being classics back to back! I was so excited when Sanjay launched Saawariya because to me SLB is the epitome of filmmaking, he's everything a director should be, and he is my inspiration! When he announced his cast I was ecstatic!
Ranbir Kapoor – the son of my first ever favourite actor.
Sonam Kapoor – the daughter of an actor I've grown up watching and admiring.
Salman Khan – one of my favourite actors from the day I learnt to walk/talk.
Rani Mukerji – an actress I've admired and loved obsessively for almost 10 years.
To have these beautiful people under the master wand of my most favourite director, I couldn't imagine it getting any better! Then in September when the music was launched, I became crazy and yes there is no better way to describe it. I fell deeply and hugely in love with "Bir and Sona" (that's Ranbir and Sonam, in case you hadn't yet gathered), and Monty Sharma's music had me under a spell! The first promo was in the beautiful signature-style of SLB and I was so excited! The release date got closer and I kept on feeling the strangest of emotions… one minute I'd feel absolutely excited and positive and then I would feel ridiculously nervous.
I didn't get much sleep at all last night so forgive me for writing a lazy (but still lengthy of course *haha*) review.
And now the review…
Initial thoughts: They say that when you go in for an interview, the employer makes up their mind about you within the first few minutes. The same happens with a film. Just a few frames into the film and I knew I was in for something fantastic! I knew I had entered a dream-like world, which is going to take me away from all my own worries and present me with something beautifully welcoming.
Storyline: As I just mentioned above it's a dream-like film. We're transcended to a world we can't really relate to, yet yearn to know more about. We question whether the world truly exists, whether these characters really exist or whether they are a figment of Gulab's imagination. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story 'White Nights' the story itself is not exactly breathtakingly unique or unseen, but it's been dealt with in the most remarkable manner. It's surreal, yet inviting. We know this place doesn't exist; yet we wish it did. Time and place do not play important characters in 'Saawariya'; in fact they are insignificant factors.
The most beautiful part about the story is how Sanjay has managed to bring in so many messages without rubbing them in your face. He doesn't lecture you, yet he does touch upon issues… be it the way the prostitutes lead their lives or how 'Lollipop' has been living life so alone and isolated.
Technicalities: It really doesn't come as a surprise that the film was definitely the most beautiful piece of visual poetry I have ever witnessed. Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran has yet again worked his magic and bought to us an unimaginable, dreamlike, beautiful and striking cinema experience which leaves you in awe, credit for this of course also goes to the art director Omung Kumar. Let me put it this way – if you thought Devdas and Black were the best you were going to get from SLB in terms of visual-appeal, you were pleasantly mistaken! Everything else is first rate. The screenplay and editing work together wonderfully and refrain from allowing the viewer to get bored at any point of time, in short the film does not drag and has been skilfully edited. I was really upset to see that some songs were cut short and others were entirely omitted, but I respect the editor (which happens to be director SLB himself) did his job with the films best interest at heart.
Costumes/Character styling: Wonderful! The film did not demand dramatic 'costumes' per se, but the outfits worn were suited to each character. Job well done by each and every costume designer!
Music: I have been hearing the songs of Saawariya like crazy ever since the soundtrack released. Even when I had an ear infection, I didn't stop listening to these songs, doesn't that say enough? Monty Sharma stunned his with his themes/scores in 'Devdas' and 'Black' but with 'Saawariya' he has proved to be one of our finest music directors ever. This is a soundtrack I surely won't be forgetting, ever! Without a doubt, it's an evergreen album. Each and every song has been composed/arranged beautifully and the vocals are absolutely superb!
Choreography: Every song has been choreographed with divine beauty. Each one of them is a visual extravaganza! Special mention to 'Chabeela' and 'Yoon Shabnami', both of which are so festive and perfect for the Diwali season in which the film has released.
Performances:
Ranbir Kapoor stuns! And how! I really can't find words to describe just how cute and natural this boy is. He is so charming! When his introduction came in the film, I was about to fall off my seat… believe it or not, I pinched myself 10 times because I felt so numb and thought I was dreaming…even pinching myself didn't help because I still thought I am dreaming! I simply cannot believe that Rishi's son has truly arrived… and he is so incredible! Natural, cute and charming are the best adjectives to describe him. He exudes such warmth you just feel like reaching out to him and giving him the biggest hug. Yes, it's true… the film belongs to him entirely. I feel like I have been blessed that I have finally seen him onscreen, it's like a dream come true. He's a fantastic actor and to think this was just a debut performance is absolutely ridiculously impossible. An incredibly fine performance! Hats off Ranbir… keep working this way. There's no doubt you're here to stay, just keep at it because there are no two ways about it – you are our next superstar…I say we already send you off to Madame Tussauds haha! Oh and "I love you baby!" LOL
Sonam Kapoor is so heavenly beautiful! Every time Sonam came on the screen I couldn't take my eyes of her (and yes people, I am still straight!), she's just so beautiful and has such classic beauty. One second she looks adorable and innocent like a child and the next second she'll look so prim and proper lady-like. I cannot believe some critics were being so harsh on her, I am really insulted by them because I fail to understand who exactly they were watching, as it cant be the same girl I watched. She blew me away with her talent and beauty both. She has such grace in her every move, in her every word… she's truly fantastic! It breaks my heart to think that she wasn't thinking of becoming an actress, because if not her I cant imagine a single other actress doing this role (no, not even our senior actresses!). Her voice really stole my heart. She's too cute! Not only have we found our next male superstar in Ranbir but we've also found our next female superstar in Sonam! Sonam, like Ranbir too, I believe you also are going to grow from strength to strength… it's hard to imagine how you can get even better (because you both were so freaking fantastic), but I know you will keep on surprising me…keep up the great work!
Both Ranbir and Sonam share the most immaculate chemistry, absolutely flawless pairing. They are both our forthcoming super-super-superstars and I am so proud of them! They both act, look and dance like a dream, a very beautiful dream!! I am so impressed… they have truly lived up to my expectations, and believe me you my expectations were freaking high! I truly am in love with them all over again… if you thought I couldn't get madder about them, trust me I am…I don't know what I'm going to do now until their next film releases! They were just so fresh and so lovely!! Oh and one more quick note… I've never seen a newcomer use their eyes as expressively as Ranbir and Sonam did, they completely floored me with their brilliant performances… they were Ranbir Raj and Sakina and not Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam!
So yes, the ending was a bit hard to digest… but then aren't all of SLB's endings? I accept the ending as the perfect ending to 'Saawariya', I cannot imagine it any other way. If Ranbir Raj is lonely it's only because Sakina is with her true love, so we have to be happy for Sakina! And I'm sure Raj wont be upset or anything because if he is, he'll just get in that "boxing ring" haha…aww…
Rani Mukerji is a 'pataka' [firework] in every sense of the word! She lives the role of Gulab with such natural ease but of course that doesn't surprise me an ounce because I always expect the most natural and perfect performances from her, she wont know how to give a bad performance even if she tries haha (unless she is acting to act bad of course!)… she looks her career-best, so gorgeous!! Her dialogue delivery is superb and she had me laughing so much…love this woman to death!
Zohra Sehgal was a sweetheart. It was so good to see her! And she has the sweetest smile!!
Salman Khan had a very short appearance and not much of a demanding character but Salman being Salman leaves a fantastic impression nonetheless. He does complete justice to Imaan.
Others were fantastic too, everyone did a brilliant job!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali… what can I say? The man is my Guru! If anyone can dare make a film like this, it's him… in the 90s decade when everything was about masaala love stories, he made Khamoshi. At a time when it was all about mini skirts, he made HDDCS and Devdas. At a time when filmmakers want to keep safe with love stories, he made Black (a film which broke all boundaries and gave leeway to filmmakers who are now free to make whatever the hell they want!)… with Saawariya he yet again proves his worth as a director. What he extracts from these newcomer kids is unbelievable! Sanjay, last time I reviewed your film in 2005 I bowed down to you and thanked you for everything you taught me. This time, I've just run out of ways of saying how brilliant you are…You're the best…end of!
Overall, Saawariya is yet another classic feather in SLB's cap. This man cannot go wrong and he proved that to me today! I am so, so, so happy and so content with what I saw. It's one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. It's hard to compare it to Sanjay's other films because I love them all so much, but I'd say if it's second to anyone of his films it's only Black. One of the finest films of our generation…SLB, thank you once again for a cinematic experience of a lifetime.
Rating: 9.5/10
Reviewed by Manpreet Bhandal
[As this is a review of the film, it may consist of spoilers so beware incase..]
Expectations: 'Khamoshi', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', ' Devdas' and 'Black'… there's little I can say to describe, without taking too much time, just how brilliant each one of these four films are. Sanjay Leela Bhansali is not only a filmmaker beyond excellence but also someone who cannot get enough of churning out films nothing short of being classics back to back! I was so excited when Sanjay launched Saawariya because to me SLB is the epitome of filmmaking, he's everything a director should be, and he is my inspiration! When he announced his cast I was ecstatic!
Ranbir Kapoor – the son of my first ever favourite actor.
Sonam Kapoor – the daughter of an actor I've grown up watching and admiring.
Salman Khan – one of my favourite actors from the day I learnt to walk/talk.
Rani Mukerji – an actress I've admired and loved obsessively for almost 10 years.
To have these beautiful people under the master wand of my most favourite director, I couldn't imagine it getting any better! Then in September when the music was launched, I became crazy and yes there is no better way to describe it. I fell deeply and hugely in love with "Bir and Sona" (that's Ranbir and Sonam, in case you hadn't yet gathered), and Monty Sharma's music had me under a spell! The first promo was in the beautiful signature-style of SLB and I was so excited! The release date got closer and I kept on feeling the strangest of emotions… one minute I'd feel absolutely excited and positive and then I would feel ridiculously nervous.
I didn't get much sleep at all last night so forgive me for writing a lazy (but still lengthy of course *haha*) review.
And now the review…
Initial thoughts: They say that when you go in for an interview, the employer makes up their mind about you within the first few minutes. The same happens with a film. Just a few frames into the film and I knew I was in for something fantastic! I knew I had entered a dream-like world, which is going to take me away from all my own worries and present me with something beautifully welcoming.
Storyline: As I just mentioned above it's a dream-like film. We're transcended to a world we can't really relate to, yet yearn to know more about. We question whether the world truly exists, whether these characters really exist or whether they are a figment of Gulab's imagination. Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's short story 'White Nights' the story itself is not exactly breathtakingly unique or unseen, but it's been dealt with in the most remarkable manner. It's surreal, yet inviting. We know this place doesn't exist; yet we wish it did. Time and place do not play important characters in 'Saawariya'; in fact they are insignificant factors.
The most beautiful part about the story is how Sanjay has managed to bring in so many messages without rubbing them in your face. He doesn't lecture you, yet he does touch upon issues… be it the way the prostitutes lead their lives or how 'Lollipop' has been living life so alone and isolated.
Technicalities: It really doesn't come as a surprise that the film was definitely the most beautiful piece of visual poetry I have ever witnessed. Cinematographer Ravi K Chandran has yet again worked his magic and bought to us an unimaginable, dreamlike, beautiful and striking cinema experience which leaves you in awe, credit for this of course also goes to the art director Omung Kumar. Let me put it this way – if you thought Devdas and Black were the best you were going to get from SLB in terms of visual-appeal, you were pleasantly mistaken! Everything else is first rate. The screenplay and editing work together wonderfully and refrain from allowing the viewer to get bored at any point of time, in short the film does not drag and has been skilfully edited. I was really upset to see that some songs were cut short and others were entirely omitted, but I respect the editor (which happens to be director SLB himself) did his job with the films best interest at heart.
Costumes/Character styling: Wonderful! The film did not demand dramatic 'costumes' per se, but the outfits worn were suited to each character. Job well done by each and every costume designer!
Music: I have been hearing the songs of Saawariya like crazy ever since the soundtrack released. Even when I had an ear infection, I didn't stop listening to these songs, doesn't that say enough? Monty Sharma stunned his with his themes/scores in 'Devdas' and 'Black' but with 'Saawariya' he has proved to be one of our finest music directors ever. This is a soundtrack I surely won't be forgetting, ever! Without a doubt, it's an evergreen album. Each and every song has been composed/arranged beautifully and the vocals are absolutely superb!
Choreography: Every song has been choreographed with divine beauty. Each one of them is a visual extravaganza! Special mention to 'Chabeela' and 'Yoon Shabnami', both of which are so festive and perfect for the Diwali season in which the film has released.
Performances:
Ranbir Kapoor stuns! And how! I really can't find words to describe just how cute and natural this boy is. He is so charming! When his introduction came in the film, I was about to fall off my seat… believe it or not, I pinched myself 10 times because I felt so numb and thought I was dreaming…even pinching myself didn't help because I still thought I am dreaming! I simply cannot believe that Rishi's son has truly arrived… and he is so incredible! Natural, cute and charming are the best adjectives to describe him. He exudes such warmth you just feel like reaching out to him and giving him the biggest hug. Yes, it's true… the film belongs to him entirely. I feel like I have been blessed that I have finally seen him onscreen, it's like a dream come true. He's a fantastic actor and to think this was just a debut performance is absolutely ridiculously impossible. An incredibly fine performance! Hats off Ranbir… keep working this way. There's no doubt you're here to stay, just keep at it because there are no two ways about it – you are our next superstar…I say we already send you off to Madame Tussauds haha! Oh and "I love you baby!" LOL
Sonam Kapoor is so heavenly beautiful! Every time Sonam came on the screen I couldn't take my eyes of her (and yes people, I am still straight!), she's just so beautiful and has such classic beauty. One second she looks adorable and innocent like a child and the next second she'll look so prim and proper lady-like. I cannot believe some critics were being so harsh on her, I am really insulted by them because I fail to understand who exactly they were watching, as it cant be the same girl I watched. She blew me away with her talent and beauty both. She has such grace in her every move, in her every word… she's truly fantastic! It breaks my heart to think that she wasn't thinking of becoming an actress, because if not her I cant imagine a single other actress doing this role (no, not even our senior actresses!). Her voice really stole my heart. She's too cute! Not only have we found our next male superstar in Ranbir but we've also found our next female superstar in Sonam! Sonam, like Ranbir too, I believe you also are going to grow from strength to strength… it's hard to imagine how you can get even better (because you both were so freaking fantastic), but I know you will keep on surprising me…keep up the great work!
Both Ranbir and Sonam share the most immaculate chemistry, absolutely flawless pairing. They are both our forthcoming super-super-superstars and I am so proud of them! They both act, look and dance like a dream, a very beautiful dream!! I am so impressed… they have truly lived up to my expectations, and believe me you my expectations were freaking high! I truly am in love with them all over again… if you thought I couldn't get madder about them, trust me I am…I don't know what I'm going to do now until their next film releases! They were just so fresh and so lovely!! Oh and one more quick note… I've never seen a newcomer use their eyes as expressively as Ranbir and Sonam did, they completely floored me with their brilliant performances… they were Ranbir Raj and Sakina and not Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam!
So yes, the ending was a bit hard to digest… but then aren't all of SLB's endings? I accept the ending as the perfect ending to 'Saawariya', I cannot imagine it any other way. If Ranbir Raj is lonely it's only because Sakina is with her true love, so we have to be happy for Sakina! And I'm sure Raj wont be upset or anything because if he is, he'll just get in that "boxing ring" haha…aww…
Rani Mukerji is a 'pataka' [firework] in every sense of the word! She lives the role of Gulab with such natural ease but of course that doesn't surprise me an ounce because I always expect the most natural and perfect performances from her, she wont know how to give a bad performance even if she tries haha (unless she is acting to act bad of course!)… she looks her career-best, so gorgeous!! Her dialogue delivery is superb and she had me laughing so much…love this woman to death!
Zohra Sehgal was a sweetheart. It was so good to see her! And she has the sweetest smile!!
Salman Khan had a very short appearance and not much of a demanding character but Salman being Salman leaves a fantastic impression nonetheless. He does complete justice to Imaan.
Others were fantastic too, everyone did a brilliant job!
Sanjay Leela Bhansali… what can I say? The man is my Guru! If anyone can dare make a film like this, it's him… in the 90s decade when everything was about masaala love stories, he made Khamoshi. At a time when it was all about mini skirts, he made HDDCS and Devdas. At a time when filmmakers want to keep safe with love stories, he made Black (a film which broke all boundaries and gave leeway to filmmakers who are now free to make whatever the hell they want!)… with Saawariya he yet again proves his worth as a director. What he extracts from these newcomer kids is unbelievable! Sanjay, last time I reviewed your film in 2005 I bowed down to you and thanked you for everything you taught me. This time, I've just run out of ways of saying how brilliant you are…You're the best…end of!
Overall, Saawariya is yet another classic feather in SLB's cap. This man cannot go wrong and he proved that to me today! I am so, so, so happy and so content with what I saw. It's one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. It's hard to compare it to Sanjay's other films because I love them all so much, but I'd say if it's second to anyone of his films it's only Black. One of the finest films of our generation…SLB, thank you once again for a cinematic experience of a lifetime.
Rating: 9.5/10
Friday, 14 September 2007
Yes Boss [1997]
I remember watching this film in the cinema when it released, and then watching Duplicate just a few months later too. I used to get incredibly confused between the films haha but one thing I knew was that I loved both dearly. Duplicate was a film I ended up watching a lot over the years, but Yes Boss I didn’t see as frequently. Thankfully I bought the DVD a couple of months back and finally got around to watching it the other day!
I don’t want to beat around the bush here, I’m going to put it simply – it is a great film! It’s a complete entertainer and a brilliantly made film. Everything about it is wonderful. The comic moments are perfect and so are the more emotional sequences.
The story is unique and really interesting. The basic theme [how people can do anything for fame and money] is realistic, as all Aziz Mirza films. The highlight of the film is definitely the characterizations, as each character is so perfectly sketched.
Aziz Mirza delivered a classic with Yes Boss! He’s a fine filmmaker, who doesn’t know how to make a bad film. I cannot wait to see his forthcoming Shahid-Vidya starrer, but I do wish he returns to Shah-Juhi sometime soon.
Performances by the entire cast are good and each actor justifies his/her character. Shah Rukh Khan suits the character so wonderfully. His natural performance and charm give the character something no other actor could have. It goes without saying that this is his show all the way and he steals each and every scene from under the noses of all his co actors!
Aditya Pancholi delivers one of his best performances. Juhi Chawla looks adorable and does exceedingly well in her role. All the character artistes (namely Gulshan Grover, Reema Lagoo, Johnny Lever, Kashmera Shah etc) all do well in their roles.
Overall, the film is simply brilliant. There’s little else I can add to this review! It runs at a perfect timing, never boring the viewer. Consisting of a great soundtrack, fantastic performances and a fantastic story, it’s no wonder why Yes Boss remains today as one of the most universally loved films of the 90s.
I don’t want to beat around the bush here, I’m going to put it simply – it is a great film! It’s a complete entertainer and a brilliantly made film. Everything about it is wonderful. The comic moments are perfect and so are the more emotional sequences.
The story is unique and really interesting. The basic theme [how people can do anything for fame and money] is realistic, as all Aziz Mirza films. The highlight of the film is definitely the characterizations, as each character is so perfectly sketched.
Aziz Mirza delivered a classic with Yes Boss! He’s a fine filmmaker, who doesn’t know how to make a bad film. I cannot wait to see his forthcoming Shahid-Vidya starrer, but I do wish he returns to Shah-Juhi sometime soon.
Performances by the entire cast are good and each actor justifies his/her character. Shah Rukh Khan suits the character so wonderfully. His natural performance and charm give the character something no other actor could have. It goes without saying that this is his show all the way and he steals each and every scene from under the noses of all his co actors!
Aditya Pancholi delivers one of his best performances. Juhi Chawla looks adorable and does exceedingly well in her role. All the character artistes (namely Gulshan Grover, Reema Lagoo, Johnny Lever, Kashmera Shah etc) all do well in their roles.
Overall, the film is simply brilliant. There’s little else I can add to this review! It runs at a perfect timing, never boring the viewer. Consisting of a great soundtrack, fantastic performances and a fantastic story, it’s no wonder why Yes Boss remains today as one of the most universally loved films of the 90s.
Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Zameer [2005]
I know this isn’t the type of film most people get excited about watching, but I remember looking forward to it many years back while it was being shot. I remember how happy I used to get seeing the onset pictures in Filmfare and Cineblitz, and then the promos started and I was so hyped for the film! However, then the film just got stalled for sometime and that was irritating, it took longer then expected to release and my hype got lost somewhere there and I forgot all about it! Then when I was at some DVD store a couple of weeks back I saw the film in the “3 for £10” section and just had to buy it to add to my collection!
I’m a huge fan of both Ajay Devgan and Mahima Chaudhary and since last year I’ve started to like Amisha Patel a lot too, so I was really looking forward to watching this one when I got time. So last night I did just that!
In terms of the box-office result, I know this film flopped…badly! Do I think that’s justified? Well, in a way, yes it is. Why? Because it released 5 years too late! The film is very “outdated” in terms of concept and perhaps even treatment. Had it released earlier, it would’ve found a market for itself. But instead it ended up being unfortunate enough and releasing in the year where we saw progressive cinema like Black, My Brother Nikhil and Parineeta seeing commercial success.
Zameer consists of a very sweet romance, with all the ingredients one expects from a movie of the 90s. It doesn’t find a place in today’s cinema, but that’s not necessarily translating into the film being a bad film – I personally do not believe it to be so!
I enjoyed the film a lot. The story is a sweet college romance, with a twist. It’s not original or earth shattering, but it forms the base for a very good entertainer. I’m delighted to say that this DVD wont just sit on my shelf collecting dust from now on, because I can actually imagine myself watching it again!
The music by Jatin-Lalit is a let down. None of the songs are catchy enough to even remember, and the lyrics are incredibly cheap! The technicalities of the film are also unimpressive but that’s not really a surprise as it’s a film which was in ‘the making’ for a long period of time and didn’t even have the backing of a big production banner.
All the performances are impressive and the three lead stars of the film get very good roles to project their talent. Ajay Devgan is as smashing as ever! His natural performance makes his character so believable that the viewer cannot help but sympathise with the situation he’s in.
Among the actresses, both get good roles to display their talent. Amisha Patel looks adorable and makes a very convincing college student. She pulls of her cutesy outfits with a lot of grace and a very warm childlike innocence. Performance-wise there are times where one wishes she had worked that tad bit harder, but nonetheless she delivers well. Mahima Chaudhary is a revelation. She looks stunning, as she always does, and performs like a dream! Her expressions were perfect throughout and though her screen time is a lot less then Ajay and Amisha, she leaves an equal amount of impact!
The supporting cast all do a very good job. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is at his best, Alok Nath is impressive and Shakti Kapoor delivers one of his finest, most likeable and mature performances!
Overall, I’m very impressed with this film and I know I’m probably not in the majority here, but I believe it’s definitely worth watching at least once! Sweet story, great entertainer and very good performances all round!
I’m a huge fan of both Ajay Devgan and Mahima Chaudhary and since last year I’ve started to like Amisha Patel a lot too, so I was really looking forward to watching this one when I got time. So last night I did just that!
In terms of the box-office result, I know this film flopped…badly! Do I think that’s justified? Well, in a way, yes it is. Why? Because it released 5 years too late! The film is very “outdated” in terms of concept and perhaps even treatment. Had it released earlier, it would’ve found a market for itself. But instead it ended up being unfortunate enough and releasing in the year where we saw progressive cinema like Black, My Brother Nikhil and Parineeta seeing commercial success.
Zameer consists of a very sweet romance, with all the ingredients one expects from a movie of the 90s. It doesn’t find a place in today’s cinema, but that’s not necessarily translating into the film being a bad film – I personally do not believe it to be so!
I enjoyed the film a lot. The story is a sweet college romance, with a twist. It’s not original or earth shattering, but it forms the base for a very good entertainer. I’m delighted to say that this DVD wont just sit on my shelf collecting dust from now on, because I can actually imagine myself watching it again!
The music by Jatin-Lalit is a let down. None of the songs are catchy enough to even remember, and the lyrics are incredibly cheap! The technicalities of the film are also unimpressive but that’s not really a surprise as it’s a film which was in ‘the making’ for a long period of time and didn’t even have the backing of a big production banner.
All the performances are impressive and the three lead stars of the film get very good roles to project their talent. Ajay Devgan is as smashing as ever! His natural performance makes his character so believable that the viewer cannot help but sympathise with the situation he’s in.
Among the actresses, both get good roles to display their talent. Amisha Patel looks adorable and makes a very convincing college student. She pulls of her cutesy outfits with a lot of grace and a very warm childlike innocence. Performance-wise there are times where one wishes she had worked that tad bit harder, but nonetheless she delivers well. Mahima Chaudhary is a revelation. She looks stunning, as she always does, and performs like a dream! Her expressions were perfect throughout and though her screen time is a lot less then Ajay and Amisha, she leaves an equal amount of impact!
The supporting cast all do a very good job. Kulbhushan Kharbanda is at his best, Alok Nath is impressive and Shakti Kapoor delivers one of his finest, most likeable and mature performances!
Overall, I’m very impressed with this film and I know I’m probably not in the majority here, but I believe it’s definitely worth watching at least once! Sweet story, great entertainer and very good performances all round!
Ram Jaane [1995]
As a child this was one of the films I used to watch most often, because it starred two of my favourite actors [Shah Rukh and Juhi]. However, as years went on I began to, in a sense, forget about it. The last time I saw the film properly was probably a good 10 years ago! So the other night I decided to give it a watch, for old-times sake, even though I didn’t remember much about it and most people I know bash the film quite a bit.
Did the film disappoint me? Hell no! It’s a fantastic movie and I consider it to be a golden piece in my DVD collection. The story is fabulous and the characterizations are brilliant (primarily the one of Ram Jaane himself). Running to a screenplay of approximately 2 hours 20 minutes, the screenplay of the film is quite good and surprisingly the film didn’t drag at any point.
The music by Anu Malik is superb and each song is catchy! The lyrics are quite tacky, with song titles like “Phaink hawa mein ek chumma tum catch karlo”, “Bum chiki chiki bum”, “Pehla love song” and “Pump up the Bhangra”, but I guess that’s just how the majority of soundtracks during that time were! Also, keeping in mind the area the film is set in and the kind of characters we follow in it, these tacky lyrics actually match pretty well!
The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the performance delivered by Shah Rukh Khan. I really don’t think myself worthy enough to attempt to review performances by the man I consider to be the best actor in the entire world. No amount of words can do justice to his brilliance in most films, and this is no different. He slips into the role of Ram Jaane as a hand does into a glove! His facial expressions and body language deserve a 10/10 as always, but what really catches the viewers attention, with the performance he gives us here, is his mind-blowing dialogue delivery! It goes without saying that this film is his show the entire way. I am really glad he won an award [at the Screen awards] recognising his brilliant in this performance – extremely deserving!
All the other actors do complete justice to their roles. Pankaj Kapoor is a scene-stealer!! His performance is outstanding as ‘technicolour’! Puneet Issar tended to go slightly over-board in some portions, but did a good job nonetheless.
Vivek Mushran is good, though I found his facial expressions slightly irritating at times. Juhi Chawla looks and performs very cutely. Gulshan Grover did very well.
Overall, the film really surpassed what I remembered of it. It’s very entertaining and Shah Rukh’s performance makes it so worth buying… a must watch for all Shah Rukh fans!
Did the film disappoint me? Hell no! It’s a fantastic movie and I consider it to be a golden piece in my DVD collection. The story is fabulous and the characterizations are brilliant (primarily the one of Ram Jaane himself). Running to a screenplay of approximately 2 hours 20 minutes, the screenplay of the film is quite good and surprisingly the film didn’t drag at any point.
The music by Anu Malik is superb and each song is catchy! The lyrics are quite tacky, with song titles like “Phaink hawa mein ek chumma tum catch karlo”, “Bum chiki chiki bum”, “Pehla love song” and “Pump up the Bhangra”, but I guess that’s just how the majority of soundtracks during that time were! Also, keeping in mind the area the film is set in and the kind of characters we follow in it, these tacky lyrics actually match pretty well!
The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the performance delivered by Shah Rukh Khan. I really don’t think myself worthy enough to attempt to review performances by the man I consider to be the best actor in the entire world. No amount of words can do justice to his brilliance in most films, and this is no different. He slips into the role of Ram Jaane as a hand does into a glove! His facial expressions and body language deserve a 10/10 as always, but what really catches the viewers attention, with the performance he gives us here, is his mind-blowing dialogue delivery! It goes without saying that this film is his show the entire way. I am really glad he won an award [at the Screen awards] recognising his brilliant in this performance – extremely deserving!
All the other actors do complete justice to their roles. Pankaj Kapoor is a scene-stealer!! His performance is outstanding as ‘technicolour’! Puneet Issar tended to go slightly over-board in some portions, but did a good job nonetheless.
Vivek Mushran is good, though I found his facial expressions slightly irritating at times. Juhi Chawla looks and performs very cutely. Gulshan Grover did very well.
Overall, the film really surpassed what I remembered of it. It’s very entertaining and Shah Rukh’s performance makes it so worth buying… a must watch for all Shah Rukh fans!
Monday, 10 September 2007
Aap Kaa Surroor [2007]
Himesh Reshammiya has been a favourite of mine ever since 1998. He always ranked as one of my favourite music directors, and then when he explored new avenues and debuted as a singer – he became one of my favourite singers! 9 years after the time I first knew who he was, he debuts as an actor with ‘Aap Kaa Surroor – The Moviee – The Real Luv Story’. My initial thoughts? “Oh my God…Himesh as an actor, that’s awesome, I can’t wait! But what kind of terrible title is that? Stupid numerology!”… all the promos were impressive and I was dying to see the film but then came June 29th 2007… and three biggies release: Apne, Awarapan and Aap Kaa Surroor. Thanks to some unfortunate reasons, I had the chance of watching only one of them in the cinemas and debated over it for quite some time before finally deciding on Apne. However when the three films released on original DVD’s, I bought them all! I loved Apne, I liked (but was disappointed by) Awarapan…and now for Aap Kaa Surroor. The DVD had been sitting pretty in my collection for like almost a month now and I just couldn’t find the convenient time to watch it, but today I finally got around to doing so.
The promotion of the film was stupendous! There was just so much mystery revolving around the film and it’s story. Why are the songs looking like music videos? Who’s that couple always hanging around in the background? Will Himesh Reshammiya make as good an actor as he does composer/singer? Can a film with such a stupidly written title (credit: numerology) be appreciated; can it be anything more then a cheese-fest? And then *hold your breath* the film releases and it becomes such a huge success that the success is compared to movies like Krrish and Dhoom 2! Oh my God… HR has got the impossible to be possible – his movie is being compared to the legendary actor’s [another HR] movies haha, but can the film actually be even a fraction as decent as them?
The story of the film is sweet and simple but has many twists and turns incorporated into it, which heightens the level of excitement. It revolves around the life of a rockstar [Himesh], how he falls in love and the corruption he discovers in the music industry. The screenplay is perfect and the film is only about 2 hours 10 minutes in length! It doesn’t drag at all and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.
Prashant Chadha, thankfully, takes us away from New York and London! Instead we are introduced to the uniquely beautiful scenery of Germany, which is made to look even more pretty and welcoming thanks to the cinematography by Manoj Soni. In fact the film looks like one big music video thanks to the gorgeous, stylish and crystal-clear gloss look! Trade analyst Taran Adarsh is absolutely right when he refers to this film as “eye candy” – it most definitely is!
This review would be absolutely incomplete if the music section was not given justice. Himesh Reshammiya excels in both departments (as the composer and playback singer)! All the songs are impressive and beautiful. A fantastic soundtrack!! Each and every song is a treat to hear and also to watch, as the choreography is also fantastic!
Debutante actor Himesh Reshammiya takes to the role like a fish to water! Playing a rockstar must have come very easy to the superstar and he enacts the role with absolute ease, showing no signs of forced-effort. He’s an absolute natural! Never once in the film does he go overboard, he fits the role perfectly and does complete justice. Before watching the film I had my doubts whether or not he would prove to be a good actor, but thankfully Himesh has removed all doubts – he churns out a fantastic performance, absolutely wonderful…you couldn’t have asked for more! Here’s an actor who can act, compose music and also playback for his own songs – and do all that excellently, without sacrificing anywhere, Himesh proves that with A.K.S! Now I’m really looking forward to seeing him set fire on the cinema screen once more (and next time HR, I will surely be there in the cinema watching the movie, I really regret not having done so)!
Hansika Motwani impresses more then expected. She’s a complete natural. Never once did I remember she is ‘Hansika – The child artiste’, she was 100% Riaa (her character) in this film and hats off to her for delivering such a fine performance, and also looking so breathtakingly beautiful throughout. I wish her all the success for the future, because I really am looking forward to seeing her act again! Oh and I must add that her acting style really resembles both Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor (either she takes inspiration from them, or it’s just coincidental).
In a guest appearance, Mallika Sherawat leaves an impact. She performs with ease and delivers a great performance as Ruby.
The actors playing the roles of Shravan and Bani both do justice to their roles, but it’s the guy playing Shravan who really excels. After a good job in Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, he impresses yet again (and looks hot too!).
All the others, most notably Raj Babbar and Darshan Jariwala, do complete justice to their roles too.
Prashant Chadha does a brilliant job as Aap Kaa Surroor is a brilliant entertainer! It has all the ingredients of a successful film so it really does not surprise me that it’s one of the most successful movies of 2007. It is, without any doubt, a very good movie and definitely worth watching at least once. If you haven’t yet seen it, I suggest you get yourself moving and buy a copy of the original DVD because it’s most definitely worth every penny you pay! Just the other day I was telling my sister how I wished we had more of these cute love stories made which you can watch whenever you’re feeling bored – and Aap Kaa Surroor is just that, and more! It’s very entertaining and it’s also a quality film! I’m not at all disappointed, actually it’s surpassed my expectations!
The promotion of the film was stupendous! There was just so much mystery revolving around the film and it’s story. Why are the songs looking like music videos? Who’s that couple always hanging around in the background? Will Himesh Reshammiya make as good an actor as he does composer/singer? Can a film with such a stupidly written title (credit: numerology) be appreciated; can it be anything more then a cheese-fest? And then *hold your breath* the film releases and it becomes such a huge success that the success is compared to movies like Krrish and Dhoom 2! Oh my God… HR has got the impossible to be possible – his movie is being compared to the legendary actor’s [another HR] movies haha, but can the film actually be even a fraction as decent as them?
The story of the film is sweet and simple but has many twists and turns incorporated into it, which heightens the level of excitement. It revolves around the life of a rockstar [Himesh], how he falls in love and the corruption he discovers in the music industry. The screenplay is perfect and the film is only about 2 hours 10 minutes in length! It doesn’t drag at all and keeps the viewer engaged throughout.
Prashant Chadha, thankfully, takes us away from New York and London! Instead we are introduced to the uniquely beautiful scenery of Germany, which is made to look even more pretty and welcoming thanks to the cinematography by Manoj Soni. In fact the film looks like one big music video thanks to the gorgeous, stylish and crystal-clear gloss look! Trade analyst Taran Adarsh is absolutely right when he refers to this film as “eye candy” – it most definitely is!
This review would be absolutely incomplete if the music section was not given justice. Himesh Reshammiya excels in both departments (as the composer and playback singer)! All the songs are impressive and beautiful. A fantastic soundtrack!! Each and every song is a treat to hear and also to watch, as the choreography is also fantastic!
Debutante actor Himesh Reshammiya takes to the role like a fish to water! Playing a rockstar must have come very easy to the superstar and he enacts the role with absolute ease, showing no signs of forced-effort. He’s an absolute natural! Never once in the film does he go overboard, he fits the role perfectly and does complete justice. Before watching the film I had my doubts whether or not he would prove to be a good actor, but thankfully Himesh has removed all doubts – he churns out a fantastic performance, absolutely wonderful…you couldn’t have asked for more! Here’s an actor who can act, compose music and also playback for his own songs – and do all that excellently, without sacrificing anywhere, Himesh proves that with A.K.S! Now I’m really looking forward to seeing him set fire on the cinema screen once more (and next time HR, I will surely be there in the cinema watching the movie, I really regret not having done so)!
Hansika Motwani impresses more then expected. She’s a complete natural. Never once did I remember she is ‘Hansika – The child artiste’, she was 100% Riaa (her character) in this film and hats off to her for delivering such a fine performance, and also looking so breathtakingly beautiful throughout. I wish her all the success for the future, because I really am looking forward to seeing her act again! Oh and I must add that her acting style really resembles both Preity Zinta and Kareena Kapoor (either she takes inspiration from them, or it’s just coincidental).
In a guest appearance, Mallika Sherawat leaves an impact. She performs with ease and delivers a great performance as Ruby.
The actors playing the roles of Shravan and Bani both do justice to their roles, but it’s the guy playing Shravan who really excels. After a good job in Kuch Meetha Ho Jaaye, he impresses yet again (and looks hot too!).
All the others, most notably Raj Babbar and Darshan Jariwala, do complete justice to their roles too.
Prashant Chadha does a brilliant job as Aap Kaa Surroor is a brilliant entertainer! It has all the ingredients of a successful film so it really does not surprise me that it’s one of the most successful movies of 2007. It is, without any doubt, a very good movie and definitely worth watching at least once. If you haven’t yet seen it, I suggest you get yourself moving and buy a copy of the original DVD because it’s most definitely worth every penny you pay! Just the other day I was telling my sister how I wished we had more of these cute love stories made which you can watch whenever you’re feeling bored – and Aap Kaa Surroor is just that, and more! It’s very entertaining and it’s also a quality film! I’m not at all disappointed, actually it’s surpassed my expectations!
Cash [2007]
Anubhav Sinha has a great resume to boast of, including films like Tum Bin [fantastic emotional drama], Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai [sweet love story] and Dus [classy and stylish action]. The director has not only proved his fantastic capabilities as a filmmaker, but has also assured the audience that he will not be typecast in a particular genre of filmmaking. After making 2 family entertainers [Tum Bin, Aapko Pehle Bhi…] the director took on the challenge of an action-adventure movie [Dus], which went on to achieving a lot of commercial success, before exploring a completely different style of filmmaking with Tathastu and then reverting back to the action genre with the film in question – Cash!
So, is Cash yet another milestone in Anubhav’s journey, or does it take him 10 steps backwards? In terms of success, the film was not really appreciated by either the critics or the audience!
The story of the film revolves around the typical chor [thief] and heera [diamonds] business. It’s not as novel as one would expect and yet it still has potential to make a decent action thriller. Although the story disappoints initially, the major downfall of Cash lies in it’s weak and patchy screenplay. The film seems rushed at some parts and at other parts it feels it is going at the pace of a snail! The entire first half seems without purpose and leaves the audience feeling bored and highly irritated. It’s the second half of the film where the action begins to take off and the film becomes tolerable and entertaining.
A major turn-off in the film is the cheesy and highly pathetic animation! It’s absolutely ridiculous when the actors keep being animated every other second (and the worst thing is that the animation is so terrible)! The locations of Cape Town are breathtaking and the action sequences are incredibly well illustrated.
The soundtrack by Vishal-Shekhar is impressive. All the songs are catchy, though they really don’t find place in the films screenplay! The most strangely placed one being ‘Mind-blowing Mahiya’.
Ajay Devgan seems uninterested and bored (and to be honest, I don’t blame him!), you can tell he felt forced to do the film and his heart wasn’t in it. The energy was missing. However, being the fantastic and natural actor he is, he still manages to churn out a natural performance and completely justifies his character. Some of his scenes were absolutely fantastic [like when he’s teaching Shamita to get her car starting again… “koo-kiri-ooo-kirich” LOL] and he didn’t even have to put in any effort to steal the scenes he was in!
Zayed Khan does well and looks very sweet, however he does tend to go overboard at times. Ritesh Deshmukh is easily the show-stealer! His natural performance makes you want to stand up and applaud him. As always he’s simply a revelation! This is yet another fantastic performance from him, and this time in a very different avatar.
Watching Suniel Shetty in Cash gives a deja-vous feeling, how many times have we seen him play absolutely identical roles in the past couple of years? He does well, but he needs to refresh himself.
Esha Deol easily wins the race amongst the actresses in the film. She looks beautiful and gives a strong performance. Shamita Shetty is adorable. Dia Mirza looks pretty but disappoints with her mediocre performance. Ayesha Takia is a beautiful surprise and looks absolutely gorgeous, while performing as naturally as ever even in such a short appearance.
All in all, let’s put it simply… I had earlier planned on buying the original DVD of Cash (without having seen it) and boy am I glad I did not make that mistake! I’d advise everyone who’s bored, and has nothing better to do, to give Cash a watch, it’s worth that one watch when you have nothing better to do…but don’t spend £20 buying it – just rent it for £2 instead, like I did. Do not under any circumstance bother spending too much cash on it because though it has it’s moments, Cash really isn’t worth your Cash!!
So, is Cash yet another milestone in Anubhav’s journey, or does it take him 10 steps backwards? In terms of success, the film was not really appreciated by either the critics or the audience!
The story of the film revolves around the typical chor [thief] and heera [diamonds] business. It’s not as novel as one would expect and yet it still has potential to make a decent action thriller. Although the story disappoints initially, the major downfall of Cash lies in it’s weak and patchy screenplay. The film seems rushed at some parts and at other parts it feels it is going at the pace of a snail! The entire first half seems without purpose and leaves the audience feeling bored and highly irritated. It’s the second half of the film where the action begins to take off and the film becomes tolerable and entertaining.
A major turn-off in the film is the cheesy and highly pathetic animation! It’s absolutely ridiculous when the actors keep being animated every other second (and the worst thing is that the animation is so terrible)! The locations of Cape Town are breathtaking and the action sequences are incredibly well illustrated.
The soundtrack by Vishal-Shekhar is impressive. All the songs are catchy, though they really don’t find place in the films screenplay! The most strangely placed one being ‘Mind-blowing Mahiya’.
Ajay Devgan seems uninterested and bored (and to be honest, I don’t blame him!), you can tell he felt forced to do the film and his heart wasn’t in it. The energy was missing. However, being the fantastic and natural actor he is, he still manages to churn out a natural performance and completely justifies his character. Some of his scenes were absolutely fantastic [like when he’s teaching Shamita to get her car starting again… “koo-kiri-ooo-kirich” LOL] and he didn’t even have to put in any effort to steal the scenes he was in!
Zayed Khan does well and looks very sweet, however he does tend to go overboard at times. Ritesh Deshmukh is easily the show-stealer! His natural performance makes you want to stand up and applaud him. As always he’s simply a revelation! This is yet another fantastic performance from him, and this time in a very different avatar.
Watching Suniel Shetty in Cash gives a deja-vous feeling, how many times have we seen him play absolutely identical roles in the past couple of years? He does well, but he needs to refresh himself.
Esha Deol easily wins the race amongst the actresses in the film. She looks beautiful and gives a strong performance. Shamita Shetty is adorable. Dia Mirza looks pretty but disappoints with her mediocre performance. Ayesha Takia is a beautiful surprise and looks absolutely gorgeous, while performing as naturally as ever even in such a short appearance.
All in all, let’s put it simply… I had earlier planned on buying the original DVD of Cash (without having seen it) and boy am I glad I did not make that mistake! I’d advise everyone who’s bored, and has nothing better to do, to give Cash a watch, it’s worth that one watch when you have nothing better to do…but don’t spend £20 buying it – just rent it for £2 instead, like I did. Do not under any circumstance bother spending too much cash on it because though it has it’s moments, Cash really isn’t worth your Cash!!
Friday, 31 August 2007
Rangeela [1995]
Rangeela
Reviewed 10th Aug. 2007
I didn't remember anything about this film so when I watched it yesterday it was as though I was watching a new film (though it is in every way very 90's of course haha)!
Ram Gopal Varma is an interesting director and I usually enjoy his films, though rarely do I love them. Rangeela has it's moments. It's a very interesting concept but the screenplay is a slight let down. In fact there are a number of let downs... I had grown up being told that this movie is a classic so I was personally disappointed because I didn't consider what I saw to be classic-material personally...
Downsides:
* Urmila's performance. She's usually brilliant in her RGV movies but this is definitely an exception, according to me. She acted a bit too over the top.
* The music! This is meant to be a legendary album but I personally really hate the songs. The music is too loud and the singing to low - I personally feel it's nothing more but a headache album. The only song I really like is 'Tanha Tanha'.
* Screenplay...gets slow at times and the editing also as there could've easily been some scenes chopped off for better of the film.
^^ All those downsides out of the way, it's still a good film. It didn't live up to the expectations I had formed over the years, but nonetheless it was very good.
Jackie Shroff churned out a decent performance, though the role did not demand much. Same goes for Gulshan Grover.
Urmila Matondkar disappointed me as I stated above in the 'downsides' section. Though I must say that she was good in some scenes. She looked pretty and Manish did a very good job with her outfits. And though I found her very annoying I have to admit that even I wouldn't think of a better casted person in the role of Mili from the actresses available in the 90's - Urmila was an amazing dancer and her innocence was very warm! So yes she didn't impress me but at the same she was probably the best suited to the role compared to her contemporaries.
The scene stealer was by far and without doubt Aamir Khan! He was completely natural and shone in the role of Munna - the role was certainly tailor-made for him and I can't imagine any other actor having pulled it off. Actually, till date for me Sanju Baba was Munna Bhai, but now Aamir has put me in a bit of a fix haha 'coz he was a perfect Munna Bhai! Very natural performance, extremely likable as always!
Overall, Rangeela is a good movie in general from RGV's camp, but it had potential to be better!
Reviewed 10th Aug. 2007
I didn't remember anything about this film so when I watched it yesterday it was as though I was watching a new film (though it is in every way very 90's of course haha)!
Ram Gopal Varma is an interesting director and I usually enjoy his films, though rarely do I love them. Rangeela has it's moments. It's a very interesting concept but the screenplay is a slight let down. In fact there are a number of let downs... I had grown up being told that this movie is a classic so I was personally disappointed because I didn't consider what I saw to be classic-material personally...
Downsides:
* Urmila's performance. She's usually brilliant in her RGV movies but this is definitely an exception, according to me. She acted a bit too over the top.
* The music! This is meant to be a legendary album but I personally really hate the songs. The music is too loud and the singing to low - I personally feel it's nothing more but a headache album. The only song I really like is 'Tanha Tanha'.
* Screenplay...gets slow at times and the editing also as there could've easily been some scenes chopped off for better of the film.
^^ All those downsides out of the way, it's still a good film. It didn't live up to the expectations I had formed over the years, but nonetheless it was very good.
Jackie Shroff churned out a decent performance, though the role did not demand much. Same goes for Gulshan Grover.
Urmila Matondkar disappointed me as I stated above in the 'downsides' section. Though I must say that she was good in some scenes. She looked pretty and Manish did a very good job with her outfits. And though I found her very annoying I have to admit that even I wouldn't think of a better casted person in the role of Mili from the actresses available in the 90's - Urmila was an amazing dancer and her innocence was very warm! So yes she didn't impress me but at the same she was probably the best suited to the role compared to her contemporaries.
The scene stealer was by far and without doubt Aamir Khan! He was completely natural and shone in the role of Munna - the role was certainly tailor-made for him and I can't imagine any other actor having pulled it off. Actually, till date for me Sanju Baba was Munna Bhai, but now Aamir has put me in a bit of a fix haha 'coz he was a perfect Munna Bhai! Very natural performance, extremely likable as always!
Overall, Rangeela is a good movie in general from RGV's camp, but it had potential to be better!
Wednesday, 29 August 2007
The Legend Of Bhagat Singh [2002]
The Legend Of Bhagat Singh
Reviewed 29.08.2007
When this film released, just over five years ago, I was totally against watching it for various reasons: [1] I was a huge fan of 23rd March 1931 Shaheed (the Deol's version) and had a grudge of sorts against Raj Kumar Santoshi [RKS] for playing dirty with the Deol's, [2] I hated the soundtrack with a passion, [3] Though even then I was a huge fan of Ajay Devgan, I felt he was a completely incorrect casting for the role of Bhagat Singh, especially when I had heard him (attempt to) scream 'Inquilab Zindabad' in the promo - I felt he sounded like a mouse.
Now, five years is a long time! So when I saw the DVD on sale in a store a couple of months back, I decided it was worth buying (because it was so cheap - in a 3 for £10 deal). And then eventually I got around to watching it earlier this week.
The film is a brilliant attempt at trying to tell the true story of Bhagat Singh and the history of India at that time. With so many cinematic adaptations on this piece of history, it's impossible not to compare the films with each other! The two films I will compare it to are 23rd March 1931 Shaheed [Guddu Dhanoa, 2002] and Rang De Basanti [Rakeysh Mehra, 2006]. In comparison to the Guddu Dhanoa film, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh [TLOBS] is far superior in most aspects - and this statement comes from a huge fan of Dhanoa’s version. Where Dhanoa’s version fails, RKS excels. The technical aspects in TLOBS is evidently better and TLOBS also appears as the more intelligently scripted and historically correct version – especially as Bhagat Singh’s own brother had guided RKS. However there is one department in which Dhanoa’s version is far greater, and that is the soundtrack (which I will comment on in more detail later)! Now coming to Rang De Basanti, which deals with the subject in an entirely different way as compared to the two Bhagat Singh films, I would say that Rang De Basanti arguably is a better film then TLOBS. Rakeysh Mehra cleverly incorporates the history of Indian independence, without becoming to lecture-type and wannabe-studious about it. TLOBS is definitely like a history lesson but that doesn’t necessarily stand as a negative point against the film, because I’d say it’s a history lesson every Indian should go through the process of watching!
My only problems with the film are [1] the soundtrack and [2] a small part of the film that I found unconvincing. I’ll talk about these first, so I can get them out of the way:
Though a brilliant film, TLOBS does have its downsides. The most irritating one, according to me, being the soundtrack by A R Rahman. Though here I would add that the background score of the film is definitely praiseworthy, the actual soundtrack was so disappointing and out of context – an absolute disappointment from someone like A R Rahman who is so highly rated! Not even a single song on the album consists of Punjabi-flavour and none of the singers sing in a way believable that Bhagat Singh may have sang, making it hard to digest that these songs could have existed in that time. The instruments used also seem out of place considering the time the film is set in, in fact the songs sound extremely modern. This is the one department that Guddu Dhanoa’s version, with music by Anand Raaj Anand, scores over Raj Kumar Santoshi.
The only other disappointment in the film was the scene in which we see Mannewali and Bhagat actually speaking! That was incredibly surprising. Would a couple in a village of Punjab, and that too in the 1920s/30s actually speak to each other before marriage like that? Again, this is another part that I preferred in Dhanoa’s version where Bhagat spoke to his parents about his commitment, rather then to the girl. Also, I was happy in Dhanoa’s version that Bhagat was not shown shying away and giggling at the mention of his could-be- fiancé when with his friends. I felt RKS was trying to give too much importance to the fiancé-angle just for some commercial acceptance from the audience!
Director Raj Kumar Santoshi does a brilliant job in extracting some fantastic performances from his cast.
As Bhagat Singh Ajay Devgan does not leave any scope to better the performance – he is perfect! I will not go drawing comparisons between his portrayal and Bobby Deol’s, because I felt Bobby too was absolutely perfect (and had the advantage of actually resembling Bhagat Singh)! Even though I’ve never been disappointed by Ajay’s performances, I still for some reason had my reservations about seeing him portray this role. Thankfully though, I was proven wrong and Ajay once again excels and churns out a fantastically natural and convincing performance.
All the other actors excel too. Sushant Singh is amazing and D.Santosh leaves a huge impact as Rajguru! Akhilendra Mishra delivers a natural performance, and in fact all the other actors portraying the roles of freedom fighters also make a good impression with their performances. Amrita Rao has no true purpose and stands around in the background of many frames, acting like a mere plank! Last but not least, Raj Babbar & Farida Jailal are in full form as always.
Overall, Raj Kumar Santoshi delivers a brilliant film, as he most often does. I’m glad I finally got around to watching it and I would recommend it to the other few people who’ve yet to see it also! If I were rating the film out of 10 I’d give it a 8, I would easily have given it a 9 but the soundtrack is so disappointing (I actually felt like puking whenever the songs came, and surely that’s not a good thing in a patriotic musical where the songs should make you feel all emotional etc), so yeah I’ll stick with 8/10 – fantastic film!
Reviewed 29.08.2007
When this film released, just over five years ago, I was totally against watching it for various reasons: [1] I was a huge fan of 23rd March 1931 Shaheed (the Deol's version) and had a grudge of sorts against Raj Kumar Santoshi [RKS] for playing dirty with the Deol's, [2] I hated the soundtrack with a passion, [3] Though even then I was a huge fan of Ajay Devgan, I felt he was a completely incorrect casting for the role of Bhagat Singh, especially when I had heard him (attempt to) scream 'Inquilab Zindabad' in the promo - I felt he sounded like a mouse.
Now, five years is a long time! So when I saw the DVD on sale in a store a couple of months back, I decided it was worth buying (because it was so cheap - in a 3 for £10 deal). And then eventually I got around to watching it earlier this week.
The film is a brilliant attempt at trying to tell the true story of Bhagat Singh and the history of India at that time. With so many cinematic adaptations on this piece of history, it's impossible not to compare the films with each other! The two films I will compare it to are 23rd March 1931 Shaheed [Guddu Dhanoa, 2002] and Rang De Basanti [Rakeysh Mehra, 2006]. In comparison to the Guddu Dhanoa film, The Legend Of Bhagat Singh [TLOBS] is far superior in most aspects - and this statement comes from a huge fan of Dhanoa’s version. Where Dhanoa’s version fails, RKS excels. The technical aspects in TLOBS is evidently better and TLOBS also appears as the more intelligently scripted and historically correct version – especially as Bhagat Singh’s own brother had guided RKS. However there is one department in which Dhanoa’s version is far greater, and that is the soundtrack (which I will comment on in more detail later)! Now coming to Rang De Basanti, which deals with the subject in an entirely different way as compared to the two Bhagat Singh films, I would say that Rang De Basanti arguably is a better film then TLOBS. Rakeysh Mehra cleverly incorporates the history of Indian independence, without becoming to lecture-type and wannabe-studious about it. TLOBS is definitely like a history lesson but that doesn’t necessarily stand as a negative point against the film, because I’d say it’s a history lesson every Indian should go through the process of watching!
My only problems with the film are [1] the soundtrack and [2] a small part of the film that I found unconvincing. I’ll talk about these first, so I can get them out of the way:
Though a brilliant film, TLOBS does have its downsides. The most irritating one, according to me, being the soundtrack by A R Rahman. Though here I would add that the background score of the film is definitely praiseworthy, the actual soundtrack was so disappointing and out of context – an absolute disappointment from someone like A R Rahman who is so highly rated! Not even a single song on the album consists of Punjabi-flavour and none of the singers sing in a way believable that Bhagat Singh may have sang, making it hard to digest that these songs could have existed in that time. The instruments used also seem out of place considering the time the film is set in, in fact the songs sound extremely modern. This is the one department that Guddu Dhanoa’s version, with music by Anand Raaj Anand, scores over Raj Kumar Santoshi.
The only other disappointment in the film was the scene in which we see Mannewali and Bhagat actually speaking! That was incredibly surprising. Would a couple in a village of Punjab, and that too in the 1920s/30s actually speak to each other before marriage like that? Again, this is another part that I preferred in Dhanoa’s version where Bhagat spoke to his parents about his commitment, rather then to the girl. Also, I was happy in Dhanoa’s version that Bhagat was not shown shying away and giggling at the mention of his could-be- fiancé when with his friends. I felt RKS was trying to give too much importance to the fiancé-angle just for some commercial acceptance from the audience!
Director Raj Kumar Santoshi does a brilliant job in extracting some fantastic performances from his cast.
As Bhagat Singh Ajay Devgan does not leave any scope to better the performance – he is perfect! I will not go drawing comparisons between his portrayal and Bobby Deol’s, because I felt Bobby too was absolutely perfect (and had the advantage of actually resembling Bhagat Singh)! Even though I’ve never been disappointed by Ajay’s performances, I still for some reason had my reservations about seeing him portray this role. Thankfully though, I was proven wrong and Ajay once again excels and churns out a fantastically natural and convincing performance.
All the other actors excel too. Sushant Singh is amazing and D.Santosh leaves a huge impact as Rajguru! Akhilendra Mishra delivers a natural performance, and in fact all the other actors portraying the roles of freedom fighters also make a good impression with their performances. Amrita Rao has no true purpose and stands around in the background of many frames, acting like a mere plank! Last but not least, Raj Babbar & Farida Jailal are in full form as always.
Overall, Raj Kumar Santoshi delivers a brilliant film, as he most often does. I’m glad I finally got around to watching it and I would recommend it to the other few people who’ve yet to see it also! If I were rating the film out of 10 I’d give it a 8, I would easily have given it a 9 but the soundtrack is so disappointing (I actually felt like puking whenever the songs came, and surely that’s not a good thing in a patriotic musical where the songs should make you feel all emotional etc), so yeah I’ll stick with 8/10 – fantastic film!
Sadak [1992]
Sadak
Reviewed 15.08.2007
I didn't remember this at all so for me it was like I was watching a new movie. It was good... didn't drag. Nice songs..nice performances all round. Everything was pretty good, I was impressed..Longer review coming soon - Stay tuned.
Reviewed 15.08.2007
I didn't remember this at all so for me it was like I was watching a new movie. It was good... didn't drag. Nice songs..nice performances all round. Everything was pretty good, I was impressed..Longer review coming soon - Stay tuned.
Ek Chalis Ki Last Local [2007]
Ek Chalis Ki Last Local
Reviewed __
Saw it...Liked it! Good film...very interesting story.Neha looked pretty and acted fine.Abhay Deol stole the show as always This man is born to steal shows LOL...He rocked!Quite a good film! Stay tuned for a longer review.
Reviewed __
Saw it...Liked it! Good film...very interesting story.Neha looked pretty and acted fine.Abhay Deol stole the show as always This man is born to steal shows LOL...He rocked!Quite a good film! Stay tuned for a longer review.
The Train [2007]
The Train
Reviewed 13.08.2007
I love Emraan Hashmi's films in general so I felt really happy when my sis bought Awarapan and The Train on DVD even though we hadn't seen them yet -- with Emraan Hashmi you can rely on him that his films will be worth at least one watch (most of the time). The Train is not an exceptional film, it's not extraordinary. However, it's a good way to pass time and the concept was very good. I have seen Derailed when I was in college but as with most Hollywood movies I remember jack-all about it, so I cannot compare or comment on the issue of it being inspired or what not!
As far as the music goes, I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack, it's OK but it's not really up to the standards I have from an Emraan Hashmi movie (but then again why should it be haha he's an actor, not a music director LOL)!
Emraan Hashmi delivers yet another natural performance. He handled the role with a lot of maturity. Sayali is a pretty girl but in her close-up shots one wishes her make up artiste had at least tried a bit harder! Acting-wise she wasn't outstanding, but still did an impressive job. Geeta Basra is an insult to British fans of Hindi Cinema. I remember she once said she wants to be the next Madhuri Dixit... All I can say is girl pull your pretty little socks up (rather then pulling your skirt up) next time. Her make up was horrifying and her dubbing was just terrible!
I was very disappointed by one of my favourite designers (Vikram Phadnis). The clothes were very pretty but at times did not keep in tune with the film or characterisation.
Overall, The Train is a decent film. I don't see myself watching it repeatedly but perhaps after a couple of years I will pick up the DVD from my shelf and give it another watch haha... It's fine but I hoped for better!
Reviewed 13.08.2007
I love Emraan Hashmi's films in general so I felt really happy when my sis bought Awarapan and The Train on DVD even though we hadn't seen them yet -- with Emraan Hashmi you can rely on him that his films will be worth at least one watch (most of the time). The Train is not an exceptional film, it's not extraordinary. However, it's a good way to pass time and the concept was very good. I have seen Derailed when I was in college but as with most Hollywood movies I remember jack-all about it, so I cannot compare or comment on the issue of it being inspired or what not!
As far as the music goes, I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack, it's OK but it's not really up to the standards I have from an Emraan Hashmi movie (but then again why should it be haha he's an actor, not a music director LOL)!
Emraan Hashmi delivers yet another natural performance. He handled the role with a lot of maturity. Sayali is a pretty girl but in her close-up shots one wishes her make up artiste had at least tried a bit harder! Acting-wise she wasn't outstanding, but still did an impressive job. Geeta Basra is an insult to British fans of Hindi Cinema. I remember she once said she wants to be the next Madhuri Dixit... All I can say is girl pull your pretty little socks up (rather then pulling your skirt up) next time. Her make up was horrifying and her dubbing was just terrible!
I was very disappointed by one of my favourite designers (Vikram Phadnis). The clothes were very pretty but at times did not keep in tune with the film or characterisation.
Overall, The Train is a decent film. I don't see myself watching it repeatedly but perhaps after a couple of years I will pick up the DVD from my shelf and give it another watch haha... It's fine but I hoped for better!
Awarapan [2007]
Awarapan
Reviewed 14.08.2007
I'm a huge fan of the Bhatt's and Emraan Hashmi so I was really awaiting Awarapan and had even wanted to see it in the cinema, but was unable to as it released with Apne! The film did not live up to my expectations because the pace was extremely s.l.o.w...! I was disappointed to an extent as I have very high expectations from the Bhatt's. It's a good film but had potential to be a lot better. The screenplay and general pace were the biggest let down's!
The soundtrack is simply outstanding, it's by far one of the best albums this year... Amazing songs! I love 'Mahiya', 'To Phir Aao' & 'Tera Mera Rishta'.
Performances were good overall. Emraan Hashmi yet again proves that he is a complete natural performer. He's a brilliant actor and has everything going for him. Fantastic performance as always! Oh and I loved his hairstyle!
As far as the girls go, Mrinalini Sharma gave a very good performance and looked absolutely gorgeous! I really liked this girl a lot... Absolutely fantastic! Shriya was average. She looked quite bad but performed fine in whatever little she had.
Ashutosh Rana did justice to his role, but I did not like him as much as I have in some of his past films. Salil was very good!
Overall, I find that Awarapan is a good film but it's slightly disappointing coming from the Bhatt's! It has it's moments but could've been a whole load better with a finer screenplay and a better pace! A recommended watch nonetheless. In comparison to this films I've seen this year I'd say it joins Guru...LMKK...JBJ...The Train with a 6/10 rating.
Reviewed 14.08.2007
I'm a huge fan of the Bhatt's and Emraan Hashmi so I was really awaiting Awarapan and had even wanted to see it in the cinema, but was unable to as it released with Apne! The film did not live up to my expectations because the pace was extremely s.l.o.w...! I was disappointed to an extent as I have very high expectations from the Bhatt's. It's a good film but had potential to be a lot better. The screenplay and general pace were the biggest let down's!
The soundtrack is simply outstanding, it's by far one of the best albums this year... Amazing songs! I love 'Mahiya', 'To Phir Aao' & 'Tera Mera Rishta'.
Performances were good overall. Emraan Hashmi yet again proves that he is a complete natural performer. He's a brilliant actor and has everything going for him. Fantastic performance as always! Oh and I loved his hairstyle!
As far as the girls go, Mrinalini Sharma gave a very good performance and looked absolutely gorgeous! I really liked this girl a lot... Absolutely fantastic! Shriya was average. She looked quite bad but performed fine in whatever little she had.
Ashutosh Rana did justice to his role, but I did not like him as much as I have in some of his past films. Salil was very good!
Overall, I find that Awarapan is a good film but it's slightly disappointing coming from the Bhatt's! It has it's moments but could've been a whole load better with a finer screenplay and a better pace! A recommended watch nonetheless. In comparison to this films I've seen this year I'd say it joins Guru...LMKK...JBJ...The Train with a 6/10 rating.
Chak De India [2007]
Chak De India
Reviewed 13.08.2007
The YRF-SRK team has been loved by many over the past 14 years so them teaming up again for ‘Chak De India’ definitely created hype among the audience. Does ‘Chak De India’ live up to the created hype? Most definitely!
The basic story of the film is brilliant. It’s inspiring and such a brilliant concept. The screenplay is perfect too and does complete justice to the great story. When the intermission comes you’re left in surprise as the first half goes by so quickly! And then you suppose that perhaps the second half wont be as fast because it has quite a few hockey matches in it – but I was proven wrong as the second half was just as slick and fast-paced as the first half.
As a high school student I had always enjoyed playing hockey in our PE lessons, but I was never so interested in the sport as to play it further as a passion or join a team etc… And I’ve never in my life seen a hockey match on TV. However, after seeing this film I am just so intrigued by the sport that I am willing to watch all the games that are aired on TV – it just seems so fun! When the film finished and I came home I told my family how I really wished I was trained for a hockey team haha… It was just as fun to watch as football is! And sports incorporated into films as part of the genre has become really exciting to watch… The car racing in ‘TRRP’, the biking in ‘D2’ and now the hockey in ‘CDI’ is always portrayed so brilliantly… Now I really can’t wait to watch ‘Goal’ this winter!
The music by Salim-Sulaiman forms an outstanding soundtrack, with each song being so beautifully composed – the best of the lot easily being the title track itself. The way in which they incorporated the songs in the film as background music was praiseworthy – their placement in the script was perfect!
Director, Shimit Amin excels and churns out a great product. He extracts brilliant performances from his cast and justifies his screenplay with utmost brilliance. Hats off to him for taking on such a beautiful theme and creating such a fantastic movie!
Producers Yash Raj Films are back with a bang this time and if all goes well ‘CDI’ should bring to them their well deserved Box Office and critical acclaim because it’s a perfect film!
The entire cast did a brilliant job with the performances! Great casting results in natural performances all-round!
It’s unfair to let any of the girls go unnoticed because they all did an amazing job and fit their characters so well! But the girls who stood out most were those who portrayed the roles of the very pretty Preeti, the ice-queen Bindia, the cute but feisty Komal, the more subdued but intriguing Vidya and of course the most entertaining of all Balbir!
Now coming on to the King of all hearts, the King of all actors… the best forever and always – Shah Rukh Khan. As expected the King Khan once more delivers the finest performance and stuns with his natural performance as Kabir Khan. It’s very tough for any member of the audience to critically analyse such a perfect actors performance – he can never go wrong so it’s only expected that he churns out not just his best but the best! His chemistry with all the young girls was outstanding and I think the fact that he was working with new co-stars added a fresher feel to his performance. I really don’t know how to express his brilliance as a performer, or how I can justify with mere words just how great he was in this performance… so all I can say is that here is a man who is for me the finest actor that ever lived, and this in my opinion is one of his most outstanding performance of his career, so you can do the maths about just how amazing he is in ‘Chak De India’!
Overall: ‘Chak De India’ is by far the best Hindi film of 2007 and I recommend it to each individual. A film about sportsmanship, spirit, teamwork and determination – it’s a must see for everyone! 10/10 !
Reviewed 13.08.2007
The YRF-SRK team has been loved by many over the past 14 years so them teaming up again for ‘Chak De India’ definitely created hype among the audience. Does ‘Chak De India’ live up to the created hype? Most definitely!
The basic story of the film is brilliant. It’s inspiring and such a brilliant concept. The screenplay is perfect too and does complete justice to the great story. When the intermission comes you’re left in surprise as the first half goes by so quickly! And then you suppose that perhaps the second half wont be as fast because it has quite a few hockey matches in it – but I was proven wrong as the second half was just as slick and fast-paced as the first half.
As a high school student I had always enjoyed playing hockey in our PE lessons, but I was never so interested in the sport as to play it further as a passion or join a team etc… And I’ve never in my life seen a hockey match on TV. However, after seeing this film I am just so intrigued by the sport that I am willing to watch all the games that are aired on TV – it just seems so fun! When the film finished and I came home I told my family how I really wished I was trained for a hockey team haha… It was just as fun to watch as football is! And sports incorporated into films as part of the genre has become really exciting to watch… The car racing in ‘TRRP’, the biking in ‘D2’ and now the hockey in ‘CDI’ is always portrayed so brilliantly… Now I really can’t wait to watch ‘Goal’ this winter!
The music by Salim-Sulaiman forms an outstanding soundtrack, with each song being so beautifully composed – the best of the lot easily being the title track itself. The way in which they incorporated the songs in the film as background music was praiseworthy – their placement in the script was perfect!
Director, Shimit Amin excels and churns out a great product. He extracts brilliant performances from his cast and justifies his screenplay with utmost brilliance. Hats off to him for taking on such a beautiful theme and creating such a fantastic movie!
Producers Yash Raj Films are back with a bang this time and if all goes well ‘CDI’ should bring to them their well deserved Box Office and critical acclaim because it’s a perfect film!
The entire cast did a brilliant job with the performances! Great casting results in natural performances all-round!
It’s unfair to let any of the girls go unnoticed because they all did an amazing job and fit their characters so well! But the girls who stood out most were those who portrayed the roles of the very pretty Preeti, the ice-queen Bindia, the cute but feisty Komal, the more subdued but intriguing Vidya and of course the most entertaining of all Balbir!
Now coming on to the King of all hearts, the King of all actors… the best forever and always – Shah Rukh Khan. As expected the King Khan once more delivers the finest performance and stuns with his natural performance as Kabir Khan. It’s very tough for any member of the audience to critically analyse such a perfect actors performance – he can never go wrong so it’s only expected that he churns out not just his best but the best! His chemistry with all the young girls was outstanding and I think the fact that he was working with new co-stars added a fresher feel to his performance. I really don’t know how to express his brilliance as a performer, or how I can justify with mere words just how great he was in this performance… so all I can say is that here is a man who is for me the finest actor that ever lived, and this in my opinion is one of his most outstanding performance of his career, so you can do the maths about just how amazing he is in ‘Chak De India’!
Overall: ‘Chak De India’ is by far the best Hindi film of 2007 and I recommend it to each individual. A film about sportsmanship, spirit, teamwork and determination – it’s a must see for everyone! 10/10 !
Wednesday, 8 August 2007
Fiza [2000]
Fiza
Reviewed 31 July 2007
I bought the DVD on the weekend so got a chance of watching it after almost 7 years hehe...been a long time. Wow... Wow... WOW! What an amazing and powerful film! It truly leaves an impact of sorts... The characters are all really well written.
Karisma Kapoor is simply outstanding. She's so natural!! She breathes such innocence into her performance, however she never once appears weak - she's so strong. A Great character and an amazing performance... truly, hats off to Karisma for pulling this off so beautifully. She looked gorgeous, performed like a dreaaaam and I just have to add that her dancing in 'Main Naachu Bin Paayal' is one of the best actress-dances I've seen in my liiifetime..She's just amazing, this girl rocks!
Hrithik Roshan was too good to be true. For a newcomer to have churned out such a stunning performance in a tough role like Amaan...I really don't know what to say! He looked gorgeous too and him & Karisma really looked like bro-sis! His performance was just as good Karisma's!
Jaya Bachchan was good too, though she tended to go overboard at times...but overall it's a very good performance...though nothing will change my view tht Jaya Bhaduri was 1000x better then Jaya Bachchan!
Songs are fabulous...Anu Malik is simply a genius!
Overall I really really really love this movie...Not once did I get bored. It's absolutely AMAZING!
Reviewed 31 July 2007
I bought the DVD on the weekend so got a chance of watching it after almost 7 years hehe...been a long time. Wow... Wow... WOW! What an amazing and powerful film! It truly leaves an impact of sorts... The characters are all really well written.
Karisma Kapoor is simply outstanding. She's so natural!! She breathes such innocence into her performance, however she never once appears weak - she's so strong. A Great character and an amazing performance... truly, hats off to Karisma for pulling this off so beautifully. She looked gorgeous, performed like a dreaaaam and I just have to add that her dancing in 'Main Naachu Bin Paayal' is one of the best actress-dances I've seen in my liiifetime..She's just amazing, this girl rocks!
Hrithik Roshan was too good to be true. For a newcomer to have churned out such a stunning performance in a tough role like Amaan...I really don't know what to say! He looked gorgeous too and him & Karisma really looked like bro-sis! His performance was just as good Karisma's!
Jaya Bachchan was good too, though she tended to go overboard at times...but overall it's a very good performance...though nothing will change my view tht Jaya Bhaduri was 1000x better then Jaya Bachchan!
Songs are fabulous...Anu Malik is simply a genius!
Overall I really really really love this movie...Not once did I get bored. It's absolutely AMAZING!
Damini [1993]
Damini
Reviewed 02 August 2007
Wow!!! I didn't remember anything about this film so it was a treat watching it last night. What a fantastic movie!! Everything about it was brilliant. It's a very long film and yet never dragged and I didn't hit the skip button at any given point. The story was great and so was the screenplay. The climax of the film was brilliant but I think the judge got a bit filmi hehe they could've toned down his dialogues the slightest bit at least to make it a bit more real!
Meenakshi Sheshadri was simply outstanding!! I cannot believe that she did not win any awards for this? I haven't seen much of her as an actress to be honest but this was a very natural and convincing performance, and that too in such a tough role. I was really really really impressed by her. She did a great job! Sunny Deol is an absolute scene-stealer! His role is really short in terms of length but the power and strength it holds makes it one of the best roles an actor could wish for and Sunny's mannerisms, dialogue delivery and emotions are spot on perfect. A really natural performance and very much worthy of the award(s) he won. Loved his dialogues... be it 'dhai kilo ka haath' or 'tareeq pe tareeq'..fab dialogues!!
Rishi Kapoor didn't have much to do but did extremely well in whatever he had, as he is as we all know a brilliant and natural performer. Amrish Puri was fantastic. His eyes have so much fire in them!! It was awesome to see him and Sunny confront each other as they both have such strength in them hehe
Aamir Khan was a huuuge surprise to see, I never had a clue that he had this item song/special appearance in this film????! I was really taken aback. But he danced very well!! Songs were nice too! I love the whole 'Damini Damini Damini O Meri Damini' theme.
Overall the film is simply rocking...I loved it so much. Will be watching it lots more in the future I feel because it's a film of courage, belief and honesty, and it's made with that same honesty is projects making it no wonder why it's such a good film.
Reviewed 02 August 2007
Wow!!! I didn't remember anything about this film so it was a treat watching it last night. What a fantastic movie!! Everything about it was brilliant. It's a very long film and yet never dragged and I didn't hit the skip button at any given point. The story was great and so was the screenplay. The climax of the film was brilliant but I think the judge got a bit filmi hehe they could've toned down his dialogues the slightest bit at least to make it a bit more real!
Meenakshi Sheshadri was simply outstanding!! I cannot believe that she did not win any awards for this? I haven't seen much of her as an actress to be honest but this was a very natural and convincing performance, and that too in such a tough role. I was really really really impressed by her. She did a great job! Sunny Deol is an absolute scene-stealer! His role is really short in terms of length but the power and strength it holds makes it one of the best roles an actor could wish for and Sunny's mannerisms, dialogue delivery and emotions are spot on perfect. A really natural performance and very much worthy of the award(s) he won. Loved his dialogues... be it 'dhai kilo ka haath' or 'tareeq pe tareeq'..fab dialogues!!
Rishi Kapoor didn't have much to do but did extremely well in whatever he had, as he is as we all know a brilliant and natural performer. Amrish Puri was fantastic. His eyes have so much fire in them!! It was awesome to see him and Sunny confront each other as they both have such strength in them hehe
Aamir Khan was a huuuge surprise to see, I never had a clue that he had this item song/special appearance in this film????! I was really taken aback. But he danced very well!! Songs were nice too! I love the whole 'Damini Damini Damini O Meri Damini' theme.
Overall the film is simply rocking...I loved it so much. Will be watching it lots more in the future I feel because it's a film of courage, belief and honesty, and it's made with that same honesty is projects making it no wonder why it's such a good film.
Mili [1975]
Mili
Reviewed: August 03 2007
After waiting to see this movie for years I finally got the DVD a month or so back and watched it last night. Chupke Chupke has been one of my all time favourite movies ever since I first saw it... Among Hrishikesh's other films I adore Guddi which I also saw just recently (it's a classic all the way)! The other two films I've seen made by him are Anand and Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate, both of which I don't think are classics like the others but they're still quite good. Anyway, so I've been trying to work my way through all of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's cinema and Mili was another step forward for me.
What did I think of it? I simply loved it! Here is a film that I wont forget any time soon, it truly leaves a deep impact with the viewer.
The story is simply fantastic. So real, simple and about human life like all of H.M's films. Screenplay is tight and gripping - after Guddi this is another film from H.M which did not drag in the least bit and kept me glued to the screen in each and every frame! It finishes so quickly (just a 2 hour film) and you wish it had gone on for a bit more. The end of the film deserves a special mention here because it took me by complete surprise. We're left wondering what happened next... In today's day and age we'd probably have a sequel thrown upon us haha but I think the cliffhanger we're left with is perfect...
Kal Ho Naa Ho? People say Karan Johar was inspired by Anand while writing his KHNH, and though I do see parts of Anand in KHNH, I would actually go as far as saying KHNH may be 30% similar to Anandbut it's actually something like 50-60% similar to Mili! I'm really surprised that Mili's name never appeared as an influence to KHNH in any of its reviews!! Hrishikesh Mukherjee had his Mili - and there Karan Johar found his Aman. Dying day by day, knowing of his/her illness but still going strong and keeping that smile fixed on his/her face. Making others around him/her smile and laugh and live life to the fullest. If Karan wrote Naina Catherine Kapur - Hrishikesh Mukherjee had already written Shekhar! Depressed and living a cynical life due to the situation one has been left in thanks to his/her father's doings. Someone finally comes into his/her life to bring happiness and a reason to live - teaching him/her how to smile!
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Mili is a fight of human spirit. It's a pure evergreen classic and I know I will watch this film more and more over the years, it outstanding cinema at its best.
Performances by each and every actor are perfect and natural!
Jaya Bhaduri Honestly, what can I say? Every single time I see a movie of Jaya Bhaduri, I just wonder what happened to her?! Such a beautiful and natural actress... Jaya Bachchan is not a patch on Jaya Bhaduri - and I honestly don't feel anyone will go against my saying this. She was such a natural actress... she portrayed the role with such simplicity, such sweetness and she just oozed of reality - there wasn't a single moment she went overboard, there never is in any of her older performances that I've seen. Definitely, without any doubt, a performance of a lifetime!
Amitabh Bachchan Wow. The power in his eyes...the depression, the cynical attitude...everything was projected with utmost perfection! Of course, there isnt' really a surprise there because Amitabh was, is and always will be one of the most brilliant actors our cinema has ever and will ever see. His character had so many layers for him to dig his teeth into as an actor and he did a brilliant job, his performance as Shekhar was outstanding!
Ashok Kumar was outstanding as the father. He had so many fantastic scenes but the two that really took the cake were [1] when the doctor tells him that Mili's nearing her last days and [2] the night when Mili goes to him and says she wants to sleep with him 'coz she's not slept for days. A really amazing performance.
Aruna Irani looked so young and beautiful! She portrayed her role naturally. It seems like H.M was a big fan of Asrani hehe... he was really funny in his guest appearance - his scene was hilarious!
Great entertainment value, heart-touching story and a gripping screenplay makes me recommend Mili to each and every one of you out there who has not experienced her - because she'll really make you smile and make you cry!
Reviewed: August 03 2007
After waiting to see this movie for years I finally got the DVD a month or so back and watched it last night. Chupke Chupke has been one of my all time favourite movies ever since I first saw it... Among Hrishikesh's other films I adore Guddi which I also saw just recently (it's a classic all the way)! The other two films I've seen made by him are Anand and Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate, both of which I don't think are classics like the others but they're still quite good. Anyway, so I've been trying to work my way through all of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's cinema and Mili was another step forward for me.
What did I think of it? I simply loved it! Here is a film that I wont forget any time soon, it truly leaves a deep impact with the viewer.
The story is simply fantastic. So real, simple and about human life like all of H.M's films. Screenplay is tight and gripping - after Guddi this is another film from H.M which did not drag in the least bit and kept me glued to the screen in each and every frame! It finishes so quickly (just a 2 hour film) and you wish it had gone on for a bit more. The end of the film deserves a special mention here because it took me by complete surprise. We're left wondering what happened next... In today's day and age we'd probably have a sequel thrown upon us haha but I think the cliffhanger we're left with is perfect...
Kal Ho Naa Ho? People say Karan Johar was inspired by Anand while writing his KHNH, and though I do see parts of Anand in KHNH, I would actually go as far as saying KHNH may be 30% similar to Anandbut it's actually something like 50-60% similar to Mili! I'm really surprised that Mili's name never appeared as an influence to KHNH in any of its reviews!! Hrishikesh Mukherjee had his Mili - and there Karan Johar found his Aman. Dying day by day, knowing of his/her illness but still going strong and keeping that smile fixed on his/her face. Making others around him/her smile and laugh and live life to the fullest. If Karan wrote Naina Catherine Kapur - Hrishikesh Mukherjee had already written Shekhar! Depressed and living a cynical life due to the situation one has been left in thanks to his/her father's doings. Someone finally comes into his/her life to bring happiness and a reason to live - teaching him/her how to smile!
Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Mili is a fight of human spirit. It's a pure evergreen classic and I know I will watch this film more and more over the years, it outstanding cinema at its best.
Performances by each and every actor are perfect and natural!
Jaya Bhaduri Honestly, what can I say? Every single time I see a movie of Jaya Bhaduri, I just wonder what happened to her?! Such a beautiful and natural actress... Jaya Bachchan is not a patch on Jaya Bhaduri - and I honestly don't feel anyone will go against my saying this. She was such a natural actress... she portrayed the role with such simplicity, such sweetness and she just oozed of reality - there wasn't a single moment she went overboard, there never is in any of her older performances that I've seen. Definitely, without any doubt, a performance of a lifetime!
Amitabh Bachchan Wow. The power in his eyes...the depression, the cynical attitude...everything was projected with utmost perfection! Of course, there isnt' really a surprise there because Amitabh was, is and always will be one of the most brilliant actors our cinema has ever and will ever see. His character had so many layers for him to dig his teeth into as an actor and he did a brilliant job, his performance as Shekhar was outstanding!
Ashok Kumar was outstanding as the father. He had so many fantastic scenes but the two that really took the cake were [1] when the doctor tells him that Mili's nearing her last days and [2] the night when Mili goes to him and says she wants to sleep with him 'coz she's not slept for days. A really amazing performance.
Aruna Irani looked so young and beautiful! She portrayed her role naturally. It seems like H.M was a big fan of Asrani hehe... he was really funny in his guest appearance - his scene was hilarious!
Great entertainment value, heart-touching story and a gripping screenplay makes me recommend Mili to each and every one of you out there who has not experienced her - because she'll really make you smile and make you cry!
Khiladi [1992]
Khiladi
Reviewed: 08 August 2007
I had seen Khiladi a few times when I was younger but I didn't remember it much at all. I bought the DVD a few months back and finally got round to (re)watching it today. In my eyes Abbas-Mustan have never made a bad film. They've had films which are weaker in comparison to their others (e.g. 36 China Town) but even they've not been 'bad cinema'. Though supposedly they had directed three movies in the 80s, Khiladi (1992) was their first film to grab the tag of being a 'Blockbuster'.
Movie Preview: Raj [A.K] and Boney [D.T] are college friends who enjoy betting with each other, and Raj being the king in the field of betting doesn't know how to lose. Raj falls in love with Neelam [A.J] at first sight. The friends enjoy their college days to the fullest and are forever pulling pranks on people and betting with each other, but the problem arises when they go a tad bit too far with these innocent games, only to result in the murder of the fourth member in their group of friends - Sheetal [Sabeeha]. Everything begins to go down the drain and Raj, Boney & Neelam are faced with the toughest circumstances as they have to try and hide Sheetal's death because they know all evidence of the murder points to them!
The music of the film, composed by legendary duo Jatin-Lalit, consists of tracks which live on to be evergreen even today. Almost each of the songs was a blockbuster success.
Among the performances it's undoubtedly Akshay Kumar who steals the show. His performance is natural as ever and he looks extremely adorable too!
Deepak Tijori too leaves an impact in his parallel role. A natural performance and he excels throughout but leaves the best impression through his comic scenes.
Ayesha Jhulka impresses. She looks cute and performs very well in whatever she has to do. Sabeeha is someone I have not really seen much work of at all, but she was really good in this film and looked very pretty!
The usually sidelined Shakti Kapoor gets a good deal and justifies his role very well. It's surprising and yet so wonderful to see him in a non-perverted and instead rather sober role. Johnny Lever is good as always.
Director-duo Abbas-Mustan have always impressed me and this is no exception. Even though it's been 15 years since the release of Khiladi, the film is fresh and exciting to watch even today - thanks to the directorial brilliance of the Burmawalla brothers.
Reviewed: 08 August 2007
I had seen Khiladi a few times when I was younger but I didn't remember it much at all. I bought the DVD a few months back and finally got round to (re)watching it today. In my eyes Abbas-Mustan have never made a bad film. They've had films which are weaker in comparison to their others (e.g. 36 China Town) but even they've not been 'bad cinema'. Though supposedly they had directed three movies in the 80s, Khiladi (1992) was their first film to grab the tag of being a 'Blockbuster'.
Movie Preview: Raj [A.K] and Boney [D.T] are college friends who enjoy betting with each other, and Raj being the king in the field of betting doesn't know how to lose. Raj falls in love with Neelam [A.J] at first sight. The friends enjoy their college days to the fullest and are forever pulling pranks on people and betting with each other, but the problem arises when they go a tad bit too far with these innocent games, only to result in the murder of the fourth member in their group of friends - Sheetal [Sabeeha]. Everything begins to go down the drain and Raj, Boney & Neelam are faced with the toughest circumstances as they have to try and hide Sheetal's death because they know all evidence of the murder points to them!
The music of the film, composed by legendary duo Jatin-Lalit, consists of tracks which live on to be evergreen even today. Almost each of the songs was a blockbuster success.
Among the performances it's undoubtedly Akshay Kumar who steals the show. His performance is natural as ever and he looks extremely adorable too!
Deepak Tijori too leaves an impact in his parallel role. A natural performance and he excels throughout but leaves the best impression through his comic scenes.
Ayesha Jhulka impresses. She looks cute and performs very well in whatever she has to do. Sabeeha is someone I have not really seen much work of at all, but she was really good in this film and looked very pretty!
The usually sidelined Shakti Kapoor gets a good deal and justifies his role very well. It's surprising and yet so wonderful to see him in a non-perverted and instead rather sober role. Johnny Lever is good as always.
Director-duo Abbas-Mustan have always impressed me and this is no exception. Even though it's been 15 years since the release of Khiladi, the film is fresh and exciting to watch even today - thanks to the directorial brilliance of the Burmawalla brothers.
Monday, 23 July 2007
Partner [2007]
Partner
Reviewed 23.07.07
Expectations? David Dhawan – the name itself builds it’s own group of expectations. You know what to and what not to expect from a David Dhawan film. Don’t look for a classic – look for an entertainer. Don’t look for a film that you’ll want to treasure forever as a cinematic experience of a lifetime – look for a film that will pass your 2/3 hours without you noticing where the time is going, look for a film which you will end up buying on DVD as soon as it hits the stands because you know however many times you watch it one thing is for sure – it will entertain you. Does Partner meet those expectations? Yes, perfectly so. However, the screenplay was a bit weak at times and could’ve been much tighter. Had a further 15/20 minutes been chopped off the film it would’ve been even better then it was.
The soundtrack of the film is outstanding. It’s easily the best soundtrack of the lot from 2007 so far – I love each and every song. Choreography of each song was fabulous also, however as expected from a DD film the songs did pop out of nowhere and for heavens sake there was even a song on the actor speculating what the name of the actress is [Maria]…Nonetheless, the songs were fun to watch even though they didn’t further the story.
Children the film deserves a special section for the children because the children David and Sohail casted are actually superstars in their own right [as none of them were newcomers]! Ali Haji is the cutest child artiste in the world! He’s too adorable… And he’s gone so big now! I loved him so much in Fanaa and Ta Ra Rum Pum – everything about him is lovely and I know he’s gonna grow up and become a hot leading actor haha… He’s fabulous as ever in Partner…I just could not get over how big he has become. Lara was too cute with him [especially those pictures in their house – I wish we had those pics on the net] they looked like a real mum-son… and Salman and Ali looked adorable together too! The little boy from Baabul was in it too right? The boy with specs was him I’m sure? So cute…He’s adorable! Chinky Jaiswal The superstar kid from Indian TV … haha I was really surprised to see her…she was even in Kkusum and JJKN and I think in KSBKBT… She’s like a legend on Indian TV haha so was nice to see her in the film, though to be honest I don’t like her LOL
Salman Khan was in full form after quite some time! He gave a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful performance…and simply rocked! He looked hot and performed brilliantly…Never once going over the top…I think he worked harder because he was working with the king of comedy [Govinda] so he knew he had to up his performance – and he did, with such ease. Great performance. And a special mention to his dancing – after a looong time I saw the actor who was once one of my fave dancers – dancing amazing again!
Govinda is BACK! And HOW!!! After the scene-stealing performance in Salaam-e-Ishq, he delivers yet another brilliant and flawless performance. His performance is absolutely impeccable…I fell in love with Govinda all over again. He looked adorable and he’s just so funny…amazingly natural actor! And an outstanding dancer!
Katrina Kaif didn’t have much to do but she looked gorgeous and acted whatever she had to with such ease… I just wish people would let her use her own beautiful voice, I hate filmmakers who dub her voice they all deserve a huge slap and push to the ground to bang their heads…why do they do this? She has a great voice and they should take advantage of it! And she’s such a natural actress… I loved her a lot and I loved her pairing with Govinda… I think she’s become the best DD heroine after Karisma.
Lara Dutta was awesome. I actually really liked her role and do not agree with those who feel she had nothing to do – ‘coz she did… My favourite part of her performance was when she’s watching that movie with Ali and then she starts to cry… the way she cried was so natural – one of the most natural crying scenes from such a new actress ever! And not to mention she looked amazingly gorgeous – but that was expected. And she made one helluva gorgeous pairing with Salman, I hope we see them together again!
Salman-Govinda were just amazing together. And it was great seeing Katrina-Lara in the film, both were wonderful, as they are two of my most fave newcomers these days!
Special mention to the outfits loved them all…All the designers did a great job!
Overall Partner isn’t a classic [but then who in the world would expect it to be?] and it isn’t a great/mindblowing film…yet it still works – big time…why? There are two reasons… [1] David Dhawan and [2] Salman-Govinda. David Dhawan brings together the two actors he has worked best with in his career and Salman-Govinda as a team are too brilliant for words to express – the chemistry they share make the film worth watching and the comic moments David executes are fantastic.
I would not say it’s the best film of the year… But I do understand that there’s going to be an audience that will go crazy for this because this is the kind of film they wait for all year round, therefore chances of it achieving a high BO status are very large. On my list it will possibly feature as the 5th or 6th best film of the year so far.
2007 So Far 1. Namastey London 2. Ta Ra Rum 3. Apne 4. Naqaab 5. Salaam-e-Ishq / Partner
Reviewed 23.07.07
Expectations? David Dhawan – the name itself builds it’s own group of expectations. You know what to and what not to expect from a David Dhawan film. Don’t look for a classic – look for an entertainer. Don’t look for a film that you’ll want to treasure forever as a cinematic experience of a lifetime – look for a film that will pass your 2/3 hours without you noticing where the time is going, look for a film which you will end up buying on DVD as soon as it hits the stands because you know however many times you watch it one thing is for sure – it will entertain you. Does Partner meet those expectations? Yes, perfectly so. However, the screenplay was a bit weak at times and could’ve been much tighter. Had a further 15/20 minutes been chopped off the film it would’ve been even better then it was.
The soundtrack of the film is outstanding. It’s easily the best soundtrack of the lot from 2007 so far – I love each and every song. Choreography of each song was fabulous also, however as expected from a DD film the songs did pop out of nowhere and for heavens sake there was even a song on the actor speculating what the name of the actress is [Maria]…Nonetheless, the songs were fun to watch even though they didn’t further the story.
Children the film deserves a special section for the children because the children David and Sohail casted are actually superstars in their own right [as none of them were newcomers]! Ali Haji is the cutest child artiste in the world! He’s too adorable… And he’s gone so big now! I loved him so much in Fanaa and Ta Ra Rum Pum – everything about him is lovely and I know he’s gonna grow up and become a hot leading actor haha… He’s fabulous as ever in Partner…I just could not get over how big he has become. Lara was too cute with him [especially those pictures in their house – I wish we had those pics on the net] they looked like a real mum-son… and Salman and Ali looked adorable together too! The little boy from Baabul was in it too right? The boy with specs was him I’m sure? So cute…He’s adorable! Chinky Jaiswal The superstar kid from Indian TV … haha I was really surprised to see her…she was even in Kkusum and JJKN and I think in KSBKBT… She’s like a legend on Indian TV haha so was nice to see her in the film, though to be honest I don’t like her LOL
Salman Khan was in full form after quite some time! He gave a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful performance…and simply rocked! He looked hot and performed brilliantly…Never once going over the top…I think he worked harder because he was working with the king of comedy [Govinda] so he knew he had to up his performance – and he did, with such ease. Great performance. And a special mention to his dancing – after a looong time I saw the actor who was once one of my fave dancers – dancing amazing again!
Govinda is BACK! And HOW!!! After the scene-stealing performance in Salaam-e-Ishq, he delivers yet another brilliant and flawless performance. His performance is absolutely impeccable…I fell in love with Govinda all over again. He looked adorable and he’s just so funny…amazingly natural actor! And an outstanding dancer!
Katrina Kaif didn’t have much to do but she looked gorgeous and acted whatever she had to with such ease… I just wish people would let her use her own beautiful voice, I hate filmmakers who dub her voice they all deserve a huge slap and push to the ground to bang their heads…why do they do this? She has a great voice and they should take advantage of it! And she’s such a natural actress… I loved her a lot and I loved her pairing with Govinda… I think she’s become the best DD heroine after Karisma.
Lara Dutta was awesome. I actually really liked her role and do not agree with those who feel she had nothing to do – ‘coz she did… My favourite part of her performance was when she’s watching that movie with Ali and then she starts to cry… the way she cried was so natural – one of the most natural crying scenes from such a new actress ever! And not to mention she looked amazingly gorgeous – but that was expected. And she made one helluva gorgeous pairing with Salman, I hope we see them together again!
Salman-Govinda were just amazing together. And it was great seeing Katrina-Lara in the film, both were wonderful, as they are two of my most fave newcomers these days!
Special mention to the outfits loved them all…All the designers did a great job!
Overall Partner isn’t a classic [but then who in the world would expect it to be?] and it isn’t a great/mindblowing film…yet it still works – big time…why? There are two reasons… [1] David Dhawan and [2] Salman-Govinda. David Dhawan brings together the two actors he has worked best with in his career and Salman-Govinda as a team are too brilliant for words to express – the chemistry they share make the film worth watching and the comic moments David executes are fantastic.
I would not say it’s the best film of the year… But I do understand that there’s going to be an audience that will go crazy for this because this is the kind of film they wait for all year round, therefore chances of it achieving a high BO status are very large. On my list it will possibly feature as the 5th or 6th best film of the year so far.
2007 So Far 1. Namastey London 2. Ta Ra Rum 3. Apne 4. Naqaab 5. Salaam-e-Ishq / Partner
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