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.
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