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2006-05-04T11:00:00.000-07:00

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Crash

2006-04-01T00:07:00.000-08:00

AV - ****
EV - ****

Crash bags the Oscar for the best film this year, beating expectations, for everyone thought that the Oscar usually goes to films on bizzare relationships, triumph of human spirit against all odds, blah, blah and blah-blah.

Crash is genre busting; its an emotional, hardhitting, realistic, satirical, topical, and somewhat suspense film (tch tch…... its entertaining too). Wow, so much for 120 minutes of unconventional, Oscar worthy cinema!!!

The movie revolves around a bunch of characters who are directly or indirectly affected by racism - victims, victimizers and the third kind. A black man is murdered which leads to the theory of racial killing, which forms the main plot. Then there are sub plots which revolve around these characters, who belong to different ethinic backgrounds, whose lives are heavily influenced in some way or the other by racism. The chain of events unfolding the climax and how these people fight to overcome the demons inside them makes this cinema worthy of a million accolades. Watch Crash for its mindblowing screenplay and brilliant performances by its ensemble cast.

In a glittering Oscar ceremony, Jack Nicholson gave away the award for Crash with a smirk. Ladies and gentlemen, the foolproof formula for bagging an Oscar has just been busted.

-Arun

Being Cyrus

2006-03-27T03:40:00.000-08:00

AV: ***1/2

EV: ***

Does cinema actually portray actual life? There are arguments both for and against this question that we have heard. In this context we see the depiction of the great Indian family in Hindi Cinema. A tale of ‘it’s all about loving your family’ was in, driven by the telly soaps. The mega mansions, karva chauts and family pujas said that the family that prays together stays together. Then comes a movie like Being Cyrus which aims at breaking all these formulas. A movie in which all the characters in the family have dark shades. Such a theme might not have worked in earlier times but for the rise of what we call ‘multiplex cinema’. Driven by brave new directors like Onir, Revathy, Rajat Kapur and now Homi Adajania it has broken new grounds.

The plot revolves around Cyrus (Saif Ali Khan), a drifter with a disturbed childhood who enters the Parsi household of the Sethnas. That they are Parsis is not as important rather it is the relations between them that are interesting. Dinshaw (Naseeruddin Shah) is the elder brother who was a famous sculptor at one time and now lives in oblivion. His wife is Katy (Dimple Kapadia) who is very conscious of her increasing age and cheats on her husband. Both of them live in their family countryhouse at Panchgani removed from society. Back in the bustle of Mumbai, there is Farokh ( Boman Irani) the younger brother who has a much younger wife Tina ( Simone Singh). He is a debauched and annoying character with a bone to pick with everyone. All in all it’s quite a dysfunctional family resembling scrambled eggs on a plate. Their lives are changed forever when Cyrus joins Dinshaw as his apprentice.

Despite the lack of bonding, relationships play an important part in the film. It is what defines the actions of the characters. The execution is what makes the difference and that is also the problem. Since all the frames are tightly bound the audience is expected to be attentive throughout. Otherwise you might find yourself lost between the scenes. The background score has a haunting feel reminiscent of the Agatha Christie movies. The authenticity of the Parsi household has been portrayed accurately since it was primarily shot at the directors own house. Some of the sequences are hilarious especially the argument between Farokh and his neighbour.

Saif having already established himself in mainstream cinema tries his hand at an offbeat role. He manages to lend sensibility to the screwed up Cyrus. Naseeruddin Shah is effective as the reclusive artist and Dimple Kapadia plays the over the top Katy as easily. You could not find a more unmatched couple in the world. Boman Irani is in his element as the cantankerous bawa who gets verbal diarrhea. Simone Singh is the surprise element of the film and gives an underplayed yet noteworthy performance. The tortured father of Dinshaw and Farokh, who learns that what goes around comes around, also deserves a mention.

One just wonders whether such concepts would be better suited for theatre. It is true that such movies cater to a very niche audience. Yet they are required if cinema has to move forward in India. It will take time. Until then let’s raise a cheer for the multiplexes.

- Suprateek Sinha

15 Park Avenue

2006-02-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

AV: ****

EV: ***

AN advice for anyone who is interested in watching this movie, see it only if you are interested in serious cinema. Like her previous movies, Aparna Sen here also does not make an attempt to add commercial elements to her work. What will sustain your interests is some sharp character picturisations and complicated relationships among the actors. It boasts of some of the best actors of Indian art and regional cinema, Shabana Azmi, Konkona, Rahul Bose, Waheeda Rehman and Soumitra Chatterjee.

Based in Calcutta, this is a story of Arti (Shabana Azmi) and her sister Mithi (Konkona). Arti is a professor at a prestigious college and she shares an age difference of 18 years with her sister. She has devoted her entire life to serving her aged mother and schizophrenic sister. Mithi’s condition is marked by strange delusions and visions which are recurring. At times she is a bundle of energy and at others she is in a state of solitude. Her contradiction with her state of mind constantly haunts her. It is increased by some violent incidents which lead her to a path of self destruction again and again. The relationship she shares with Arti is more of a mother and daughter. The latter sacrifices her personal life and mental peace to stand by her sister.

This subtle relationship forms the crux of the story and is dealt with beautifully. However it is up to Joydeep (Rahul Bose) to help Mithi in finding her home at ’15 Park Avenue, Calcutta’. Driven by pity over the condition of his ex lover, this is his step to redemption. The movie does not attempt to overly sympathize with the condition of the patient but to understand their state of mind. It is marked in the conversation Arti has with her doctor.

“If such people prefer to be happy in their own world who are we to rob them of their joy.”

“Because if 100 people convince you to believe something is right, even the impossible becomes true.”.

One does not have to state again and again that Shabana Azmi is a brilliant actress. It is simply understood and she fully justifies her choice for the role. Between the patience of a motherly figure and the frustration of a middle aged woman she is effortless. Bose who is a favourite of Aparna Sen does another good job as the lover who is driven by guilt and shame for his actions. Waheeda Rehman as the mother who is helpless and distraught with her daughter’s plight deserves a mention. But the highlight is Konkona who is like a child woman who no one can understand but she her self. She delivers a superlative performance without going over the top which is the usual manner in which such roles are usually portrayed.

The theme is not new, the last movie on this theme, Kyon Ki raising protests in the way schizophrenic individuals are shown. Yet it is the difference in treatment that sets it apart. Rather than considering such people as mentally disabled it makes us realize that they have aspirations like any of us. The trauma that any family who has such a member goes through looks realistic. This is where the audience starts empathising with Mithi’s character. And the climax makes them feel happy for the blessed but unfortunate girl.

P.S. This was supposed to be the movie I would have watched with my close friends, but for some compulsions. For them, Guys go watch it, im sure you’ll love it.

- Suprateek Sinha

Fight Club

2006-02-17T21:39:00.000-08:00

Problem is, between the whole bunch of them, they don't have three original expressions to boast of.

To describe their work in this film as performances is an insult to real actors who prepare for their roles, and learn dialogue.

Read about Fight Club here.

PS:Owing to irregular original reviews, we have decided to link to the reviews as and when possible.

Rang De Basanti

2006-02-11T11:38:00.000-08:00

Intelligent. Entertaining.

There are few promos and build up that makes some films must watch. Of course promos misguide often, but RDB is not one among them.

Very recently there have been series of movies on freedom struggle (including multiple Bhagat Singhs releasing on the same day) and any more period films after the debacle called Mangal Pandey has no takers. And how many times do we read history and feel that they have no practical relevance today?

And DCH faced with the criticism of addressing no issues, even though all it wanted was to promptly reflect a comman man's life and fun.

So to address both parties, the team behind RDB went into smart mixing of history with today's story, that is why I call it intelligent. This blend according to me gave half the winning points as the plot allowed for both DCH kinda fun and seriousness of Yuva. Along with the creation of situations that allowed the characters to replay the roles of freedom strugglers, the other contributing factors were the performances, music, dialogues and of course a story and its narration which does not let the audience's attention slip by. The pace is slow and steady and the story is already engulfing you within it. That is rare.

Highlights in no particular order : There are lot of simple yet fun moments that gives instant smile. The campus shot where the boys bend to drink beer was indicative of the heights they could go to, if need arises. It was intelligent way in which the events of Bhagat Singh etc were mapped to current situation.

One of my favorite scenes is the one where DJ(Aamir Khan) sitting in the car explains Sue about how friendship and all ends at campus...tomorrow each one goes their way."Aaj hum life ko nachate hain, kal life hum ko nachata hai". Another favorite scene apart from the obvious favorite climax scene, is when they hang out in the fields/fort and have absolute fun forgetting the whole world.

Among the performances, Aamir Khan is loveable (and is lucky to get to re-live his both roles in parts - that of DCH and that of Mangal Pandey). His punjabi dialogue delivery is music to ears which was matched well by phoren lady's(Alice Patten) Hindi! Karan's reclusive attitude was beautifully lived by Siddharth in every frame. His eyes spoke volumes. Ever dependable Atul Kulkarni does not disappoint, he once again[may be time for a change ? ] triumphs in a role that suppresses anger and breathes normally. Madhavan and other two guys fill the gaps. Soha Ali Khan Pataudi shows promise and the Sue is refreshing ! Music was quite complementary to film. Binodh Pradan’s cinematography makes you pack and leave on a holiday immediately! Best part is patriotism and romance were present enough to leave an impression but were not over the top, which gives the whole package a sense of reality and meaning.

Little preachy and provocative, but give me such films (Swades, Yuva) any day rather than the candy-floss-plus-europe tour or triangle-love-stories or underworld-voilence. It is dangerous, yet probably true, to think that the politicians of today are no way different to the rulers before independence. It echoes the sentiment that we have to regain our freedom but this time by our own men - whom we have elected. But what is the message exactly. To kill whoever is wrong? This was told to us by Krantiveer too. In fact its ending speech by Nana was more provocative and powerful than a simple radio station confession. Some answers were given by Karan's Q and A session. However, from the film's perspective the ending is meaningful considering all they wanted was to let public know and to awaken them and to believe that the spark ignites the fire which spreads across - exactly the way Azad and Co did.

Rakesh and team, thanks!

Rang de Basanti - Collection of film reviews

2006-01-27T22:03:00.000-08:00

If you come across professional reviews/ good reviews, please leave a comment so that we can add to the list.

Rang De Basanti

2005-12-30T02:06:00.000-08:00

Rating - ***1/2

A.R Rahman is scaling the popular charts once again with RDB and its been a long wait. RDB feels like a breath of fresh air if you compare it with his previous (misad)venture Mangal Pandey. Rahman finally gets to do what he's been waiting desparately for ages - make music which will strike the right chord with the youth, music that has a certain amount of experimentation and loads of thump. Though the songs require repeated listening for them to grow on you (like Rangeela, Lagaan etc), one can sniff 3 potential chartbusters.

The title track by Daler mehndi and Chitra is a hi-energy earthy bhangra number (winner with the masses)

Pathshaala (esp the rap version) - by a host of singers - slammed by some really corny lyrics (reminds me of P.K Mishra) but it has amazing rhythm and punch.

Khalbali - by the master himself - great arabic number with a trance like prelude - this is a dark horse, will be an absolute pub favorite.

Lukha-chuppi by Lata Mangeshkar and Rahman will get airtime only on Mother's day. It could have been a better track if Rahman had not struggled with his Hindi diction.

Khoon chala is a slow track with some good vocals. However, the lyricist Prasoon Joshi seems to be suffering from a major Gulzar hangover.

Lalkaar has Aamir voicing patriotic lines; can be skipped.

Rubaru is a nice guitar track and will definitely turn popular with time; note the Gulzar influence here too. Rest 2 tracks can be skipped (the love song tu le chal drags endlessly).

To wrap up - an effort which could have been in Rahman's big league without a couple of songs and the lyricist.
-Arun Ganesh

Apaharan

2005-12-11T01:04:00.000-08:00

Ajay Shastri is an unemployed son of a social activist. The father is influential but he does not use it to get a job for his son, because he believes in his son’s own strength to make it big. He calls press conferences and keeps exposing the corrupt government. Ajay even goes to the extent of borrowing money to bribe for his post in Police as he was being declined the post despite being in the merit list. Inspite of that, he does not get employment as a result of powerful minister lobbying his father not to disclose the holes in the government in bargain of Ajay’s job offer. To which, the idealist father, as expected does not budge.

As he had borrowed money from those who are “employed in kidnap industry”,he is threatened to return the money. Left with no option, he turns to the same profession - kidnap and miserably fails. Whats worse, it makes him butt of ridicule and revenge of the don of kidnapping -Gaya Singh and Tabrez Alam. Once out of jail, new Ajay is determined to be ’successful’ and powerful. Gaya Singh is his first victim and once he gains the confidence of Tabrez Alam, there is no stopping. And then it gets too predictable. Oh, yes there is a love interest in Megha who is not present for most part.

Sorry for the spoiler, but you would not mind much for the strength of the movie is not in its story but the good performances, shudh Hindi dialogues and the narration. Well the slow pace is ok before interval but it somehow gets to you post-interval. Somewhere in between, the movie fails to capitalise on a good and promising beginning. The swollen and withdrawn look of Ajay is now very repetitive and predictable. Nana comes out good. Mohan Agashe is fine.Yashpal Sharma is ok. The screenplay and direction have done their best to leave a mark. The background score by Wayne Sharpe is very good. I liked the way in which apaharan becomes a part in reforming Ajay (return of Megha and kids’ kidnap).

But somehow, apart from the linger of the sounds of background music and the bullets, nothing stays in mind after I walk out of hall. The laggard and deliberate climax damages the meager strength it had garnered.

Garam Masala

2005-11-07T08:37:00.000-08:00

  
“Monogamy is too cruel a rule”…Priyadarshan’s Garam Masala cries out loud…For a director whose resume reads Hera Pheri, Hungama and Hulchul, GM is too poor a movie…The magic of Hera Pheri declined in Hungama, which further eroded in Hulchul and now this…It definitely ain’t comedy for the audience…!!!
  
Set in scenic Mauritius, the plot (only if you want to call it so) revolves around photographer Mac (Akshay) and his comrade-in-arms Sam(John), working for a magazine titled Garam Masala. Sam wins a photography contest after submitting somebody else’s photo as his own, is promoted above Mac and is sent to US for a month as an official vacation…A depressed Mac wants to get back at Sam…!!!
  
With the help of one of his office cronies’, Mac gets acquainted with 3 airhostesses, a brief courtship and a song later, promises to marry each one of them. He houses them in a posh bungalow of which he has become the care-taker…Getting him imported gaadis is his friend Babban(Rajpal Yadav)…Throw in Uncle Mambo(Paresh Rawal) into this mess and you’ve got your bheja fry…!!!
  
The musical chairs which ensues, involving the 3 girlfriends so that they are not aware of his romance with the other girls, is boring to say the least…And lest I forget, there’s Rimi Sen, who is the actual fiancé of Mac and Paintal, who plays his uncle…
  
 There is no dearth of skin though…One of the song sequences is reminiscent of running coast-guards of Baywatch…Move over Yasmeen Bleeth and the Pamela Anderson, the desi version is here…;)
  
Paresh Rawal is his usual comical self…Akshay and John are definitely not the worst things in this movie…The story is not interesting, the dialogues lack punch and the direction is missing…All in all, you’re doing yourself a big favour by not watching it…!!!
-Sathish Kumar V

Chocolate

2005-09-29T12:18:00.000-07:00

One hell of a movie. The transformation of Hindi movies that started with movies like Kaante, which gave a fresh look different from the typical love stories with triangle, quadrilateral and all the other geometric diagrams, has presented us with one more edge of the seat suspense movie Chocolate. Supposedly inspired by “The Usual Suspects”.

The opening scene is the climax (anti) and hence the main story of the film is in flashback, so I was expecting a good plot to unravel and I was not disappointed. The brochure about the film said "7 strangers in a foreign land: drugs, passion, and obsessions, and a crime that brings them together. Life just doesn't stay the same". That probably sums it up well.

The story moves fast, fast enough that you are not left with time to analyze every detail of it, very intriguing and keeps you interested till the end. Krishna Pandit (Anil Kapoor) is rich, egoistic, famous lawyer in London. Monsoon (Sushma Reddy) is a journo looking for spicy stories but remains a secretary of Krishna Pundit for most of the time. Pipi (Irrfan Khan) is an artist in the film but is also good in forgery, has come to London to become famous. Sim (Tanushree Dutta) is a dancer in club and hooker in night, looks hot, [you will be disappointed if you are looking for hot scenes though]. Chip (Arshad Warsi) is a computer hacker and is under utilized in the film. Deva (Emran Hashmi, surprise: he does not get to do his usual scenes!) is an ex-army man and is an expert in networking technology. Finally Rocker (Suneil Shetty) wants to get rich quick (any means) and get married to Sim.

The story begins with two major incidents in the heart of London city, a desperate Indian journalist Monsoon Iyer(Sushma Reddy) connecting both the incidents and the arrest of two Indians Pipi and Sim.With the help of Monsoon they manage to get a lawyer in Anil Kapoor who though initially hesitant, takes up their case in order to become famous. The interrogation of Irrfan and Tanushree by Anil is interesting as one layer by another the story takes new turns, new characters get added, gets more complex and gets bigger.

The way in which the whole story unwinds, how all of them are connected to each other, how they get entangled in the two major incidents in London, who is behind their actions…..For all these answers you have to see the film (sorry man, no spoilers!) and of course for the million dollar question too: what is CHOCOLATE ?

For the downside, there is excessive talking, the change of stories tend to confuse and presence of some loose untied ends [Like Krishna meeting a person in the bar and the story related to that].

Anil Kapoor with a bit of voice modulation has rendered some good dialogs. Though it is not as composed as his acting in My wife’s murder, he looks best person for unconventional and “jara hatke” roles these days.

Irrfan hogs most of the camera time and is good. But I think his role in Maqbool could not be bettered this time.

Arshad Warsi, who gives good comic relief is first rate. I must say he is the most under rated actors in the recent times. His diversity is to be appreciated given that he can perform an intense and serious role in “Sehar” and easy-go-lucky in Chocolate with the same ease.

Emran has little to do. Same with Suneil Shetty (apart from sporting a new hair style). Tanushree does what she was expected to do : add oomph. And Sushma Reddy failing in the same department after some silly, desperate try.

London looks good in the camera and so do other things: be it bank robbery or the city in night or the action sequences. But be warned, this is not an action flick but rather suspense oriented one. The music of the film by Pritam (of Dhoom fame) is very good ("zahreeli raatein" –missing?) and perfectly suits the pace of the movie. The direction is also good by one more debutant director Vivek Agnihotri.

Taste the Chocolate once !

- Naveen Kumar B K, guest reviewer.

Iqbal

2005-09-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

Quite a few times, after first few minutes of the movie, you will be transported to some other world. You will remain there, laugh and cry with characters, cheer at some scenes and become dumb during others, gasp and finally clap. You move out of the theater nodding, smiling at others. Everything looks beautiful.
Iqbal was one such experience for me. I knew the story, but is not a movie much bigger and different than a story ?

The plot is simple and simplicity is in everything - the dialogues, the humour, the drama, the action. Iqbal is dreaming to play cricket and get into Indian team. He tries hard but meet hardships. He is determined, but the difficulties at home are more demanding. He finds a coach for himself and beats all odds to achieve his dream. There are many small notable dialogues. Like the one where mother in just couple of sentences, changes her husband. Like when Mohit(Naseer) confronts Iqbal's father(Yateen Karyekar). The humour too comes in short sentences and visuals. When the mother threatens Naseer that she would kill him, whole theater bursts into laughter. When the family members pretend to be working just before Yatin's returning home attracts smiles. Naming of buffaloes after crickters too. The drama - just one ball Iqbal bowls at Kamal is as good a drama as the climax match or the Guruji's talk with Iqbal before the match.

We don’t actually dislike any character (except perhaps that of Guruji's(Girish Karnad)). The father dislikes his family members wasting time on watching cricket - a common scene in many families. He expects his son to work with him, but that is ok, he too is helpless. Kamal's jealousy is also normal. The adoring characters, apart from that of Naseer and Iqbal's are the mother - ever smiling and encouraging and wait :the most adorable character/ child artist in recent times has to be Iqbal's kid sister(Shweta Prasad).

The way Iqbal practices in the night is my favourite part of the movie. We often land in no-way-out situations due to many factors and blame the circumstances and resign to the destiny. Or we compromise and get defeated. That part shows that everything is not over if one door is closed. I can quote many, but let me say in cricket lingo: It is not over till the LAST ball is bowled.

The story telling, performances are all first rate. A little pace in second half would have been better. That said, there is nothing that takes it away from the movie.

Iqbal is not Lagaan. The comparision stops at that the both involve cricket. Iqbal is not Black. Iqbal is colorful - green fields, blue skies, bright hopes (except for 2 dark shades of politics and jealousy).

In Hyderabad Blues in which Nagesh showed simple lives, in Bollywood calling where he exposed dramatic life in movie making, in this film he carries same finisse in showing a boy's dream, and its coming true. Between poetic narration, he packs other aspects like scenic beauty, the corruption, the leg-pulling activities, the fun.

Please stop reading this and watch Iqbal if you have not yet.

I have few complaints. Very few. First - the parents should have been watching him play the last match. They should have been shown watching it on TV, at least. Second, Just like for a batsman hitting a sixer is, for a bowler, the ultimate thrill and satisfaction is in getting a batsman BOWLED out. Middle stump. And that is an ultimate answer to a batsman. Given Iqbal's bowling, I thought, that was how it should have ended ideally - Iqbal authoritively bowling out Kamal.

Saalam Namaste

2005-09-12T00:28:00.000-07:00

AV: ***
EV: ***

Sweet is always cute, Too sweet is still adorable but when it is tried to make it extra sweet it tends to be bitter. Saalam Namaste is a classic example of this. They way movie is being promoted like “live-in relations” and “no family” involved; I expected a mature movie with no melodrama. Alas they were just promos. Till the intermission the movie is cool, sweet n funny and after that it becomes drag, senseless and stupid. On a whole it is 70’s movie repacked with gorgeous looking stars, exotic location, good hum able songs and funny a times.

Preity is Amber a medical student and a part time RJ. Saif is Nikhil Arora who prefers to call himself Nick is an architect turned chef. They hate each other until they meet and when they meet it is not love at first sight either. Yes they are attracted to each other and want to find out whether it is THE LOVE. Saif comes out with a brilliant idea of a Live-in Relation (Oh! I wish I was in Australia..) but living in different rooms. ( Oh Come on Saif did u really mean different rooms). Time passes, they figure out they are quite opposite to each others, but Opposites do attract (never knew so much), Love Blooms and finally “Ding-Dong” So what’s next??? “More Ding-Dong”…and phir kahani main twist…

Priety: Main tumhare bache ki maa bannewali hoon…. (How Original)

Saif: What? S****! Come on how did it happen? (If u really don’t know Saif, How did it happen than Ask the postman)

So what now…. things change. The broad-minded career oriented Priety suddenly becomes Bhartiya nari doesn’t want to kill the baby. The word is Abortion. Cute n happy go lucky Saif becomes coward when it comes to take the responsibility of the baby and to tie the knot. He wants abortion i.e. to kill the baby. The best part of the live-in relationship you can say Its over. Its not exactly over still the continue to stay together in different rooms, keep nagging and harassing each other and of course you know how the movie going to end.

Director is quite creative during the first half and there are quite a lot funny instances through out the movie. But has wasted talents of Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffry. Mr Director audience won't even notice when you are calling mallu a “Debo Nair” but they will raise eyebrows if you make an eight-month pregnant Preity do the Moon Walk and even if she is expecting triplets or quadruplets she wont be having that pot that you have shown. Saif who has taken some "Kishy-Vishy" lessons from Emraan and Preity who has figured out "How to look hot" have given a great performance. Only four songs but good and the entire movie is shot very beautifully. Abhishek has a cameo and he is really awesome ( Best part of the movie according to me). Movie one time watch, but not in the lights of Hum-Tum or any other Yash Raj movies. Sorry to say Mr Director Ekkjactly Kya Kehna remade.

Moral of the Movie:…Ummmm…….use Double Protection…

P.S.: Sorry to have told what to expect, but if you really go with no expectation movie might be worth your money.

-Aditya "Bye-Bye" Parekh

Dus

2005-07-10T23:42:00.000-07:00

AV: **1/2
EV: **1/2

The movie starts with Dus Bahane Karke Le Gaye Dil but after that you really in search of some Bahana to get out of the movie hall. In the movie’s lingo I can say Dus Rocks, rocks in the sense you would like to bang your head with rocks while watching the movie. Ok Ok this is a little exaggerated but Dus seriously disappoints. The movie looks very good but sounds poorly. Screenplay and Director’s ambition to make a complete family masala let’s the movie down. The movie is slow paced, predictable and full with emotions especially at the places where they are not required.

Sanjay Dutt is the head of the anti-terrorist cell. He has this information that something very big is going to happen on ‘Dus’ May. Abhishek , Zayed and Shilpa are a part of his team. Investigations lead them to Canada where they pair up with Suneil Shetty a Canadian Cop and Esha Deol a supposed Secret Agent who are to help them out in finding out Jammal the terrorist. Not a new story but it is filled with attitude and style.

Abhishek and his wicked grin is one of the things to watch out for other than the Title Track. Zayed is cool. Shilpa is quite better compared what we have seen of her in the past. Suneil’s character could have been avoided. Esha and Raima look pretty. I mean pretty ugly. Sanju baba who is known for his style and attitude and in movie, which is full of it, he has given a controlled calm performance, which I don’t understand why? Pankaj Kapur is truly mesmerizing. He dominates each and every scene in which he is present.

Mr. Director either you make an out an out action movie or make a family Rona-Dhona movie. But if you mix highflying action sequences with bhai-bhai and miya-biwi emotions, it’s going to bug the audience. Though the movie is very well shot and it has a very good sound track and also has pretty good performances but it could have been a lot better. For all who are planning to watch the movie don’t go with much expectations may be you will like it. But I didn’t.

Moral of the Movie: …... (Yawn) ……… No Comments.

-Aditya Parekh

Sarkar

2005-07-04T00:07:00.000-07:00

Absolute power!

A Ram Gopal Varma direction. First time Big B under RGV's camera. Bachan Father-Son Duo. Expectations are obviously high and results in house-full sunday morning show.
It can be said with conviction that the expectations are met, but alas they are not exceeded. No one is to blame, you wanted RGV's take on underwold, mafia world, you wanted to see Big B and AB in an impression leaving act, you get it.

Sarkar or Subash Nagre (Amitabh) is against society-disturbing incidents/ anti-social elements. To punish them, to be just, to stop them he is willing to go against God, system, government, law. Unable to tolerate this, Rashid, a Dubai returned mafia trader wants to get rid of Sarkar. He is helped by, among others, Sarkar's elder son Vishnu (Kay Kay). Younger son Shankar (Abhishek), US returned, is quite ignorant of the happenings until a time when he has to just show up and deliver. Abhishek has ample space to be centre stage and to perform during his evolution from being an observer to becoming a deliverer.

Rest, just follows.
The plots, twists give nothing new and unexpected, probably because we are too used to RGV flicks and The Godfather to which this one is a tribute by RGV. We could have been overwhelmed if Sarkar happened before Satya, but RGV himself had set such high standards with Satya that everything else looks just a leaf out of it. But that should not be mistaken for any doubt on the quality of Sarkar.

For Sarkar's credit there is no excessive bloodshed, no shootouts, no loud crys. Just a chilling background score at times and short dialogues, heavy expressions. The body language boils down to facial expressions, for ,in some of the shots only faces are shown full screen. This is refreshing as nothing escapes out of the camera and eyes, facial nerves fill (for) the dialogue-less scenes. Also to be observed are the usage of extra-long silences between the short dialogues. Amitabh is Amitabh and his fans will get a nice experience and those who still doubt Abhishek's talents, ability can check this one in which he displays intensity, screen presence, emotions & charm with ease.

-Ravikiran.R

Parineeta

2005-07-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Story is based on the novel by a famous novelist, Saratchandra Chattopadhyay. Movie from the table of Vidhu Vinod Chopra under the direction of Pradeep Sarkar will have mixed expectations. One, we have always appreciated Vidhu Vinod Chopra, second Pradeep Sarkar is a new name.

Intelligent promos increase your curiosity. The cast too includes a newcomer.
Rest assured, you will be atleast happy if not delighted !

We have already heard/seen the story. Neighbourhood friends' affection towards each other grows as they grow and turns into love. The display of ingredients of love, like - suspicion, trust, devotion, possession in a very controlled manner makes it all believable. Status, ego, family issues come in the way of their union, and not much before a third angle enters the story. Some
misunderstandings and quick turn of the events lead to their separation. Rest, watch it on the screen.

What makes this ordinary looking story, special is all credit to good movie making, with a touch of art. Director Pradeep Sarkar, who once directed those cute videos of Euphoria, succeeds in creating a overall picture that is so artistic on one hand and so narrative on the other. The right balance is seen in almost every shot and nothing seems overdone. Except, perhaps for the climax scene which was not very convincing. Leave that and you have a flow that is hitchless, set that is simple and beautiful, costumes that are adorable, music that is good on ears (and sometime necessary for the poetic feel of the movie) and performances that are perfect.

Sanjay Dutt in a short role is refreshing. Rekha appears for a "item number".

Vidya Balan a new face on celluloid, has won all praises, which she truly deserves. She had good amount of author backed shots and no harm at that. Saif, who was excellent with few comic roles, has again put a very impressive performance in a serious role. This will go down as one of his finest. He becomes the character in some of the scenes.

Parineeta is one of the finest movies. Thank God, box office is also happy.

Disclaimer: Anyone and everyone seems to/ tends to compare the movie with Devdas, because of obvious similarities. I am consciously not comparing.

-Ravikiran.R

A.V:****
E.V:****
It is an often said that people who we love the most also hurt us the
most. The person whom we hold dearest to our heart inflicts the
greatest pain on us. This is the basic premise of Parineeta (The
Married Woman), a story from the treasure trove of Bengali literature
written by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay.It is a touching tale of love
and devotion which has been portrayed on screen several times before.
Welcome to the Calcutta of the swinging 60s! The post independence era
which has a blend of socialist politics and pop music. Shekhar (Saif
Ali Khan) is a musician who comes from a noveau riche household. His
childhood companion is Lolita (Vidya Balan), an orphan who is multi
talented and spirited. As they grow up together the friendship deepens
and acquires a new meaning (Surprise!). However class differences
coupled with some obligations causes some misunderstandings between
them. At this juncture Girish (Sanjay Dutt) the businessman with a
heart of gold enters their lives. He acts as a guiding light and makes
them realize the value of having each other.
Even though the director has taken liberties with the original script
the basic storyline has been retained. The costumes and sets are
detailed and reflect the vintage era of Calcutta. Thankfully the
narrative is in Hindi and there are no attempts to force incorrect
Bengali pronunciation in order to appear authentic. Unlike Devdas even
the opulence of the zamindar household is much more subtle. A special
mention must be made of the music by Shantanu Moitra which is acts as
a sub plot. 'Piya Bole' is the pick of the lot and has strains of
Rabindra Sangeet . The 'item song' "Kaisi Paheli" is one of the
highlights of the movie.
This is surely a high water mark in Saif's career. He is convincing as
the brooding lover whose jealousy borders on possessiveness. Vidya
Balan is the find of the year. She makes a good impression in a very
mature role considering this is her first movie. Lets hope she does
not get typecast as an 'art film' heroine. Sanju Baba is as usual
great and it is good to see him do different roles nowadays. Check out
his introduction scene. There are some good character performances by
the actor who plays Shekhar's father and Raima Sen. Diya Mirza does
not have much screen time but looks stunning
The only grouse is that the ending could have been less dramatic.
Parineeta might not be a brilliant movie but it is an honest attempt
at making good cinema all the same.

-Suprateek Sinha

Mr & Mrs Smith

2005-06-13T03:55:00.000-07:00

Good show honey, but ...........

AV - **1/2
EV - ***

The battle of the sexes just got a whole new perspective - its all about who makes the first move, to put an end to a misery called spouse, quite literally!
Jane (Jolie) and John Smith (Pitt) are a not so happily married, working couple with their share of usual problems. Their secret lives as high flying spies/assassins belonging to different organizations are unknown to each other. Hell breaks loose when their identities are revealed, thanks to a common mission which puts them in a face-off situation. Now that the ugly truth is out, one has to die for the other to survive. Thus the focus shifts to a cat and mouse chase which has everything from high speed chases, shootouts, blasts, fist fights and even a ballroom dance sequence. And yes, there is a small twist in the story too.

The highlight of the movie is the awesome onscreen chemistry between the two lead playes. Add to that some witty dialogues, slick action, cool gadgets, fast pace proceedings and you have a winner (well almost!). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie put up a stylish display of acting. Eddie (Vince Vaughn) from John's spy agency is funny. Jane's spy agency consists of an all female crew. Whew! What the movie lacks is a solid story line and make-belief scenes (especially the unrealistically choreographed action sequences towards the end). The movie does not ponder into the nitty-gritties of the issues faced by a married couple, rather it chooses to be funny and occasionally silly. Ignore all the flaws and you have a "time-pass" popcorn flick.

-Arun Ganesh

PS: For all those who expect some steamy scenes between the two hotties- Our sensor board didn't find us grown up enough to handle them. Chop, chop, chop.

Bunti Aur Babli

2005-06-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

Con Act!

AV: *
EV: **

Help!!! I am a victim of Bunty aur Babli. For the last two weeks they have been all over the place in print and media, trying to sell a concept to us. Their ideas and promises seemed so grand that I was tempted to check out their story. And like many of their victims I came out with an empty feeling.

So we have Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) and Vimmi (Rani Mukerji), two souls who realize that their dreams are too big to be realized in the towns where they stay. Against their parent’s consent they leave their homes ‘to make it big’. But they soon understand that in this big bad world they have to be two steps ahead of the others. They assume the identities of Bunty and Babli and begin a series of con jobs. This includes a scheme to sell the Taj Mahal to a gullible foreigner. With every heist their plans become bolder. Hot on their trail is Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan) who is hell bent on nabbing the two imposters. Does he succeed or do the con pair give him the slip, that’s what the movie is all about.

This concept is not entirely new but could have made for good entertainment. The director seems to have compromised heavily on the script department. We have long song sequences and the pace becomes sluggish after a point of time so you have to look for diversions. The dialogues are mostly vernacular which suits the protagonists from U.P. Some of the shots do remind us of Saathiya (the song ‘Chup Chup ke’ and sequences where the couple has arguments). The music is a big let down especially since it comes from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, whose music I otherwise love. Only ‘Dhadak Dhadak’ which captures the soul of the Hindi heartland, is worth mentioning.
AB Junior has good comic timing and can hold his own in midst of senior actors, that’s for sure. He assumes the character with ease right down to the fake ‘nikee’t shirt (something which is a hit in those weekly roadside bazaar stalls). Rani has already proved herself as a superb actress so really this one’s a breeze for her. Check out the scene where she starts wailing for her mother in the middle of nowhere. AB Senior does not have much of a role to speak of and frankly his presence acts as a speed breaker in some places.

What bothers me really is what this movie could have been had the director not fallen into the trap of commercialization. One suggestion to Mr Shaad Ali: Keep it short and simple.

-Suprateek Sinha

Theatre - I am not Bajirao

2005-05-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

That's entertainment!

Venue: Andrews, Bandra.
AV - **** (4/5)
EV - ****1/2 (4.5/5)

What happens when two actors are put together and asked to carry the entire weight of a play/movie on their shoulders with just their acting prowess? Well, not much of a show if the ones in question are the typical Bollywood types. But here we have two true blue actors – Boman Irani, who needs no introduction and Sudhir Joshi (a veteran of Marathi plays) who put up an astonishing display of acting skills and comic flair coupled with some smartly penned dialogues. Add to that, a bunch of talented supporting cast and you have surefire winner.

This is the story of two old friends (really old!) who meet at a park bench regularly and share a tiffin box, nip of alcohol and re-live their glory days. Boman Irani plays a Parsi, who’s on the verge of being forcibly retired from his colony secretary’s post due his old age and eccentric ways and Sudhir Joshi, a pro-communist who in his heydays was a revolutionary, but now virtually an impostor, who not only dupes the old Parsi with his crazy tales but also unsuspecting victims. On a certain day, the “bawaji” has to confront a US returned, fitness freak who is going to run the affairs of the colony after advising him a VRS. The smart ass revolutionary gets on to his usual act and turns the table. Also they encounter a lovely girl in the park, who paints and paints and occasionally laughs at their wisecracks. Then, there is this local goon, who beats the pulp out of the revolutionary as he refuses to pay a ransom. We also get to meet revolutionary’s daughter who is a chip off the old block and finally the some answers to the girl who goes on painting like there is no tomorrow.

I am not Bajirao is an 8 year old play and is still going strong (read houseful). The USP of the play is the extraordinary display of acting talent on stage by both the lead actors
especially Boman Irani,who plays the Parsi with such finesse that you just can’t stop applauding. Be it his gestures or dialogue delivery, he proves why he is the best in the business today. Joshi has some of the best lines and he too puts up a fantastic show. The chemistry is endearing. Negatives are the lack of a plot and half etched character of the painter and her premature exit but who’s complaining. Highly recommended stuff put up by Rahul Da Cunha, it’s a real entertainer and a much much much better alternative to those no-brainer Bollywood flicks.

-Arun Ganesh

Kaal

2005-05-03T02:23:00.000-07:00

EV: ***1/2
AV: ***

Welcome to the Jungle and always remember what Gabbarsingh said “Jo Dar gaya Woh Mar gaya” . Not in the same way but kinda rephrasing it “You break the rules, You are Dead.” A long time after Bhoot comes a movie that will give you shivers. Man eating tigers, weird villagers, horrified tourist, good item songs, mysterious killings and a totally loony climax, this all makes up a good enough weekend Pepsi-Popcorn movie with your date. A word of praise for the Cinematographer, he has done an excellent job for the movie.

John a researcher for NGC and his wife Esha who is supposed to be a photographer but never seen with a camera in the entire movie are given a assignment in the Orbit Park to find out the mystery behind the mysterious killing that are going out there which are supposed to be done by Man-eating tigers. Vivek and his girlfriend Lara with two of their friends one Fatoo and other hunter come looking for an adventurous trip. They meet up when their cars break down and than they start their journey towards death together. Kaali Pratap Singh (Ajay Devgan) comes to their rescue but the killings continue. For How, What and Why the killings are happening watch the movie.

Please reach the movie hall before time to see the SRK item number and please be seated till the end to see the ‘Tauba Tauba’ wala song, they are not to be missed types. Director Soham has done a excellent considering it is his first movie. Highlight of the movie is of course Vivek Oberoi. He is just irritating in fact irritating is quite a mild word to describe his performance. Ajay Devgan is superb as ever. John has also given a good enough performance. The owls and bats have a longer role compared to these beautiful ladies.Climax is quite unrealistic but on the whole movie is worth watching.

Moral of the Movie : If you are planning a vacation or your honeymoon, Strictly avoid national parks especially those which have carnivorous animals.

-Aditya Parekh

Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

2005-04-26T00:32:00.000-07:00

AV: ****
EV: **1/2

All Pepsi-Popcorn viewers kindly and strictly avoid this movie. This is not your weekend date movie. It is a typical Film Festival movie that doesn’t say much but still will make you think a lot. Hats Off to the team behind this for a realistic movie that speaks of inexpressible Love and its undesirable fate. The movie is set up in the 60’s and 70’s era revolves around three characters coming from different backgrounds who are ready to sacrifice everything for Politics, Ambition and Love.

Siddharth ( Kay Kay ) wants a revolution in the country and ends up being a naxalite in Bihar. Geeta (Chitrangada) is madly in love with Siddharth leaves his hubby and joins Siddharth in his battle ends up being raped by police and Vikram ( Shiny Ahuja ) who also is in love with Geeta, ends up making big in his ‘Fixer’ profession His readiness to sacrifice everything for his unconditional love is the major highlight of the movie. From here on the movie really moves ahead, the characters mature and moves on. They regret. They apologies. They change. Their lives are not the same.

Climax of the movie comes as a total shocker. It has one of the better endings that have been seen in recent times. The music especially the title track gets along the movie very well. All actors have done great justice to their characters especially Shiny Ahuja.I feel that a book on the same subject would have brought out the emotion in a much better way. But still a must see for all who like parallel cinema.

Moral Of the Movie: Love can give you everything and also take everything from you.

Aditya 'Deeply Touched' Parekh

Gangaajal

2005-04-24T18:31:00.000-07:00

Saw this movie on TV rather than the silver screen. I was really impressed by the way this movie was made.Ajay Devgan as always has that smouldering look in his eyes, and has turned out a great performance. Everybody in the movie has put in a good effort. Gracy singh, as Ajay's wife, does not have much to do, other than being the dutiful wife, but does underplay the role to do justice to it.
The movie revolves around the life of Ajay Devgan who is appointed as an SP in one of the districts of Bihar. And in true filmi style he is the star of the force, with a lot of ideals and the devil-may-care approach towards the villains(and the henchmen too). So, he manages to ruffle a few feathers, as usual. So, if this movie was like every other police-versus-goonda type, what impressed me?
What clinched the deal for me was the way the movie was treated, and this was so different than all the rest of the charade. The scenes were beautifully contrsucted, and the frustration that the opressed police(yes, not the criminals) felt, spilled over from the screen to the audience. The police have been so ill-treated for a long time, that they do go a little bersek when they get the chance to give it back. The scenes are woven in such a way, that you do start feeling their frustration and are rooting for them. However, there is also the moral angle introduced, and rather subtly, in the form of a local reporter, who is obessed with reporting the truth. This was a brilliant move, and at this point you start questioning yourself as to who you should be rooting for.
The ending of the movie was a disappointment after all the good stuff for the first 2 hours. It was like eating a king size buffet, but the dessert leaving a bad taste in your mouth. Maybe the director wanted o play it safe and go the they-all-lived-happily-ever-after way. And yeah, the villain HAS to die.

Lucky- No Time for Love

2005-04-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

AV: **1/2
EV: **1/2

It is rightly said love can happen any time and with any one. But when a war is going on out and you are trapped with a stranger who is almost twice your age and that too in a graveyard and you have no idea how to reach home safely, and at that time if you think of love and dream of stupid songs. Give me a break. The reason Salman Khan might have done this movie is because the actress Sneha is Aish look alike. Hope she had a little bit acting skills like her too. She has a stoned expression throughout the movie. But considering it is her first movie she has done a descent enough job.

The movie is not bad at all but there is nothing so good in the movie either. Director Duo has come with not so tried story but still they could have done a lot better. Aditya (Salman) and Lucky (Sneha) are trapped together as rebels break loose in Russia and after that they try to reach home with the help of Pindi Das Kapur (Mithunda).

The surprise package of the movie is Mithunda. He has done what he doesn’t know best and that is comedy and he has done it pretty well. Imitating famous dialogues of earlier blockbusters and that too with perfect timing adds quite a smile to the tense situations.If comedy is good in the movie music is pathetic specially when it is not required. Salman is back to his quite best. One thing that is not understandable about the movie is the title. Why is ‘No time for Love’ added in the title? Where in fact they had all the time to fall in Love.Recommended for sitting on your couch and watching on a smaller screen.

Moral Of the Movie: Stay Alert ! Love can happen anytime.

-Aditya 'Unlucky' Parekh

Zeher

2005-04-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

AV : You must be kidding.
EV : *1/2

Parents beware!

Bollywood's biggest and meanest kisser Emraan Hashmi is back in town with his trademark ‘Chooma-Chaati’. This time the lucky lady is Udita Goswami. The taste of this Bollywood actress has fallen drastically. Movie is nothing worth talking about. Half the movie is semi soft porn and next half is supposed to be murder mystery.

Men are supposed to be weak but Emraan is a man of very high morals. He is a cop who screams at the top of his voice when someone try to bribe him and misses his wife Shamita Shetty very much who left him for some totally unacceptable reasons. One day he sees supposed to be pretty n sexy Udita and loses all his morals and then follows same old kissy-vissy scenes. Directors give us a break show something new if u can. Director finally remembers that he is making a hindi movie and after the intermission comes up with a very predictable plot, though it was still better than the first half. Udita is killed and as special investigating officer, comes back Shamita Shetty. My bad luck, I was praying that she had only a special appearence! Emraan woes starts here if the case is solved his linkage with Udita will come out. How successful he was in hiding his illicit affair and to show his real love for Shamita is upto you to find out if you wish. If you don’t wish, it is better!

A word for the producer. Mr Bhatt, we understand that Emraan is your nephew and since his girl friend has dumped him he is become a little desperate and as a broad minded uncle you may try to satisfy his carnal desires, but you can do this off screen also! We also understand you have lot of money but that doesnt mean you waste your money by making similar type of semi-porn movies. How about making a family movie starring Emraan for a change!

Moral Of the Story: Don’t leave your seats during the intermission; sometimes that's the best part of movie. During Zeher they screened the promo of Kaal which I guess was the best thing to watch in the entire 150 minutes.

-Aditya Parekh

Black is back (on print)

2005-04-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Black review on Filmfare

Hey folks,

My review of “Black” got published on Filmfare magazine’s April issue. Even though they tampered with it and cut it short inorder to fit their frame, its a feel good factor to have our stuff on the most popular movie mag. Here's the scanned bit of the review.

-Arun Ganesh

The name is Craig, Daniel Craig

2005-04-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Time for Martini?

Rumours are on that little known British actor Daniel Craig is all set to play the suave spy of silver screen. Will he prove a worthy successor to Pierce Brosnan, who after Sean Connery was touted as the best/ most popular Bond? Only time will tell. He may not have the chiselled looks of Brosnan, nor the popularity (Hollywood appearances include Road to Perdition and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider) but what matters most is the sophistication and charisma required to play Bond. Brosnan too was not a Hollywood hottie before his spy days (Remington Steele, Mrs Doubtfire, Dante’s Peak etc), but post Goldeneye people sat up and took notice of him and now enjoys iconic status.

Daniel quotes: "I go through life thinking it's all going to end tomorrow."
How good a Bond will Daniel Craig make, though it’s still too early to say? Post your comments.

-Arun “from India with love” Ganesh.

Be Cool

2005-04-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

It ain't cool baby!

Cinema – INOX (Nariman point)

AV - **

EV - * 1/2

Rule #1 – Don’t watch a Hollywood movie just because it has some pretty big names associated with it.

Rule #2 – In addition to the above rule, don’t watch one if it does not cater to the Indian sensibilities.

Rule #3 (Most important) – Don’t watch it at the most expensive multiplex in town.

This movie gives me the feeling that Mahesh Bhatt makes better movies these days! Where is the plot? What appears to be one hell of a fun movie turns out to be nothing but a collage of shady characters who go on hamming till it gets on your nerves, gags which are light years from being witty and sequences which are sometimes stretched beyond comfort levels.

Chili Palmer (John Travolta) opts out of movie making and wants to venture into the lucrative music business. He spots the very talented club singer Linda moon whose bosses are not ready to hand her the “relieving letter”. He makes her breach the contract and with the help of his late music executive friend’s widow Edie (Uma Thurman), and some high profile contacts which include Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, launches her career. In the midst of all this he has to fend off Linda’s boss, her club manager and his gay bodyguard (played by the Rock!), a group of crazy Russians out to bump him off and a bunch of black gangsters who double up as music promoters.

Too many characters and too little content on display. The movie tries hard to be funny but falls flat. The two hours running time seems like eternity. Positives would be the songs and a gig by Aerosmith, a suave John Travolta, beautiful Uma Thurman, loony gangsters and their gangsta-mobiles and the initial shootout sequence (manages to raise a few chuckles). The Rock’s character is just the opposite to what he’s been playing till now and he does a pretty neat job. Danny De Vito has hardly any role.

Be cool is not a movie worth watching on the big screen. Wait till it is shown on one of the movie channels, you may barely sit through it. Even the title sounds so uncool.

-Arun Ganesh

Million Dollar Baby

2005-03-27T09:44:00.000-08:00

Knockout punch!!!

AV: ****
EV: ***

First things first, does this movie deserves all the Oscars it has won. Well, if we look back at the previous winners, Oscars generally have a soft corner for stories of human endurance in difficult circumstances. 'Million Dollar Baby' fits into this very mould of cinema.

Frankie (Clint Eastwood) is a trainer/manager who runs a gym for boxers assisted by Eddie(Morgan Freeman). Both of them are former pugilists. Into this world enters Maggie (Hillary Swank), a waitress with a rustic accent with a desire to learn boxing . What drives her to focus on this with single minded determination? The answer can be summed up in one of the lines in the movie, “ The magic of chasing a dream which no one else can see but you”. Maggie approaches Frankie for assistance but he brushes her aside with indifference. Undeterred by the taunts and criticism , she keeps on practicing with some help from Eddie. However when one of Frankie’s boxers leaves him, he decides to take up Maggie’s case as a challenge. From there onward Maggie becomes ‘Mo Censuaca’ and moves from strength to strength, until the World Welterweight Championship Title Match.

The narrative is crisp and dialogues are interspersed with nice anecdotes on boxing. Comic relief is provided by a skinny guy called Danger who dreams of becoming a boxing champ. The beauty of this movie is that it focuses on the three characters and each shares a different relationship. All three of them have to fight the demons within themselves to carry on their existence.
Few scenes which stand out in the movie:
· Scene where Maggie vents her frustration at Frankie
· Sequence when Eddie advises Maggie to change her manager
· Final frames of the movie

Clint Eastwood (who still retains some of the aura from his ‘Dirty Harry’ days) comes out with a stellar performance. The dilemma which Frankie faces in the latter part of the movie is brilliantly captured by him. Hillary Swank slips into the role with effortless ease. This is her second Oscar winning performance after her gritty role in ‘Boys don’t cry’. She just gets better with every movie and her best is yet to come. Morgan Freeman has a short but nevertheless important role as the retired boxer with one eye. I have always believed he is one of the finest black actors of all times.

‘Million Dollar Baby’ is definetely worth a watch, however give it a skip if you are looking for something light and funny. It gets quite depressing towards the end.

P.S - Back in India, a movie is being made based on this one with Sohail Khan in the lead. It will be interesting to see how that shapes up.

- Suprateek Sinha

Meet the Fockers

2005-03-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

Fockers rule!!!

A.V - ***

E.V - ****

What do you expect from a movie with such a risqué title? Rip-roaring sequences and dialogues, predictably the “non-veg” types? Well, the sequel to the hilarious Meet the Parents takes you off on a two hour non-stop rib tickling journey from where it ended in the last instalment. This time the brilliant cast of Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller and co. are joined by the Fockers, Barbra Streisand & Dustin Hoffman, to make the proceedings even more madcap.

Story is wafer-thin; Greg/Gaylord Focker (Ben Stiller) takes his fiancee and her parents to meet his folks, who are a one of a kind couple. Greg’s loony father (Hoffman) left practicing law long back and is happy practicing martial arts at home. His mother (Streisand) is a sex counsellor/ therapist to the old and “needy”. Together the eccentric couple is too much Mr. Byrnes (De Niro) had asked for as the latest addition to his “circle of trust”. Their laid back attitude and lack of discipline in everything was enough for Byrnes to have second thoughts about this alliance. Add to the woes, he stumbles upon a strange "fact" about Greg's past which almost puts the marriage in jeopardy.

Meet the Fockers is the perfect adult comedy you would want to watch. The gags and dialogues are such that you’ll laugh till it hurts. It’s a real treat to watch star performers De Niro, Ben Stiller, Hoffman and Streisand share the same screen space. The kid and the dog that “humps anything that moves” deserves special mention. After Kisna, Black & Aviator, MTF comes as a welcome relief. Go for it and watch the Fockers transform your friendly neighbourhood multiplex into a laughter club.

-Arun Ganesh

White Noise

2005-03-15T04:38:00.000-08:00

White noise is white sound. It contains all the sound frequencies. I am not out to teach you signals and systems! The abstraction and philosophy in the title is present all through out the movie.

If page 3 was a page, White noise is clearly a coloumn article out of it. With movies on the lines of white noise, the parallel cinema gets a fresh lease of life. Parallel is no longer parallel and third world movies are as dominant and acceptable as the mainstream movies. Very structured with sunken thoughts, dialogues seemingly simple but cryptic deep with in, this movie invovles itself in a race with the abilities of the audience to understand, relate, cope and digest.

All happy n mushy movie seekers will be in for a tragedy of their life and will struggle with an unprecedented challenge of seeing drama in reality or reality in drama. Predictability takes a back seat and twists are not profound, the main characteristic of a realistic movie. The impact of the movie on me are clearly seen in these lines; so let me do some straight speak before I sign off.

Story is as much a story of script writer (Koel Puri) for small screen as is the story of the editor(Rahul Bose). Her heart breaks, her failures-depression, self destruction, unkind society, his reclusive attitude, culmination of their stories in Hrishikesh. Hrishikesh scenes are as fresh as the entire movie. Never cling on to your past. Just let go. Because "winners always move forward".

The relative-time philosophy with the example of train, 3 kinds of men, lines of Jim Morrison are superlatives of parallel dialogue writing. Rahul bose, is best at his best. Koel puri's out burst scenes and drunken scenes are to be frozen in time.

Thanks Vinta Nanda for all the morals.

There are 3 kinds of men: Those who read the lines, that in between the lines and that is *not* in between the lines.

Aviator

2005-02-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

No Oscar please, we are Indians!

Artistic Value (AV) - ***1/2
Entertainment Value (EV) - **1/2

I didn’t know a thing about Aviator when I entered the cinema; not a clue about the story or the plot. What was the reason to go for it? Well, Lord of the rings with multiple Oscar nominations made a pretty picture and the mere fact that this movie had garnered 11 Oscar nominations (including best picture) was enough for me to spend 3 hours and some moolah on it. It all makes sense, isn’t it? However, I have to admit that some movies are made to cater to the sensibilities of a niche audience and undoubtedly Aviator is tailor made to impress the Oscar lobby. It hardly fits the bill for the average Indian moviegoer who does not know and does not care if protagonist Howard Hughes really existed in the early part of last century.

Hughes (Di Caprio) is a billionaire business tycoon cum renowned pilot cum filmmaker of epic proportions cum playboy cum adventurer (poof!!!) but he’s got this strange mental illness which sometimes makes his words go in a loop. He’s got various phobias and is a cleanliness freak which almost resembles an Obsessive Compulsive Personality disorder. Inspite of all these shortcomings, he goes on to become the maker of a magnum opus (Hell's Angels) of that time which was delayed by almost 3 years as he was desperately seeking perfection. Thereafter we witness his business ventures which are mainly the formation of his aviation company TWA, seeking contracts with the US government to build spy planes and his plans to build the largest aircraft in the world at that time which can take off from the surface of water. We also get to know his changing love interests which gives him a playboy status and makes him a media favourite. His ambition to break speed barrier costs him dear as he meets with a devastating accident after which his business and life suffers. The movie throws light on his never say die spirit, his agony and triumph.

All said and done, this is quite a well made movie but sadly the pace is painfully slow at times, especially post-interval, which takes off your interest. The final scenes where Hughes testifies before a jury defending his business ambitions and failure to deliver to the US government is really good. Also his appearance before a panel due to film censorship issues is hilarious. Leo DiCaprio as Howard Hughes is simply fantastic. Kate Blanchett and Beckinsale are extremely watchable. The movie has great cinematography but special effects could have been better. Dialogues are effective, funny when required. Martin Scorsese scores on content but my quest for entertainment continues ………

-Arun Ganesh

Black (Take 2)

2005-02-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

Soul stirring, but .........

AV - ***

EV - **

Let’s get straight to the point- Black is NOT your weekend getaway to the popcorn fest.

Black is the heartbreaking story of the ultimate master and the disciple, a story self indulgent to such an extent that it misses two crucial aspects of a movie – making the proceedings easy on the senses (for the new-age arty types) and entertaining (for the masala seeker). Mr Bhansali, this time you’ve disappointed in both aspects.

Michelle (Rani) is born blind and deaf. Her father is heartbroken and detaches himself from her, her mother does everything in the world to take care of her, even if it means ignoring the younger of the two siblings. In a world of darkness and silence, the young girl suffers and becomes almost mentally challenged. Enter her "teacher", Mr Sahay (Big B), an alcoholic motor-mouth whose sole aim in life becomes Michelle and giving her a life worth living. After the initial hiccups (extremely loud and quite heavy), there forms an unbreakable bond between the two. Now comes the real heartbreaker- Michelle’s very own teacher, her godfather, becomes a victim of Alzheimer’s disease which erases his very own world from his memory. BLACK- a perfect metaphor for a life lost in the obscurities of darkness and isolation. Michelle’s triumph and the role reversals at the end forms the crux of the movie.

Rani Mukherjee is outstanding, falling short of superlatives to describe her acting prowess. Amitabh Bachchan as the teacher gives a stellar performance. It will probably go down as one of his finest. From the aggressive middle aged teacher to the old Alzheimer patient, he’s sure to give you goose bumps. A salutation to the actress who plays Michelle’s mother, simply awesome and watch out for the kid who plays the young Michelle. Cinematography is good and so are the set designs. Some dialogues are tearjerkers, in short effective. The story is touching but by no way blockbuster material.

The first half drags but the second one has got memorable moments.

The whole scene with the younger sister’s prospective groom and in-laws at the dining table.
The scene where Michelle asks the teacher to kiss her (one of the best scenes picturised)
Michelle’s graduation day speech and the last frames of the movie.

Black was never meant to entertain, but to act as a medium to the the discerning viewer to ponder beyond the vast darkness of sheer helplessness and loneliness and celebrate human triumph against all odds. Only for die hard art house movie lovers who prefer the darker (pun unintended) shades of life. Rest all KEEP OFF.

-Arun Ganesh

Black

2005-02-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

How I wish Bhansali had made Black immediately after Khamoshi, instead of HDDCS or Devdas. He’s got used to all that grandeur, that he needs larger than life sets to portray a simple story that I am sure would have worked much better otherwise.

The story of Black is as they say in film land *hatke*. It’s the story of Michelle McNelly (Rani Mukherjee) a deaf and blind kid, who is transformed into, what her mother (Shernaaz), describes ‘A Fine Woman’ with the help of Debraj Sahai(AB), a retired teacher; and how Michelle later helps him cope with Alzheimer’s disease.

Inspite of a decent story, what falters is the treatment of the movie. It appears too theatrical sometimes and there is always a feeling of unreal. Michelle’s family is an Anglo-Indian one settled in Simla, but the whole set-up is too British. The story if made into a play would have been much more acceptable.

Somewhere along the line, you always feel people are acting and things aren’t what they appear to be; only Rani and Ayesha (the younger version of Michelle) have come up with commendable performances. Even AB sometimes seems to be putting an extra effort.

But whatever said and done SLB deserves credit for the story. The movie is worth watching at least once, although my friends think otherwise and have refused to pay me for the ticket!!!

-Chaitra

GuestReviewer

National Treasure (Take 2)

2005-02-04T04:04:00.000-08:00

Don't miss this if you want to see vintage Nicholas Cage. the movie is not somenthing that has shelf life, but comes close. Lots of good action, layered secrets, red-herrings and more than enough masala to keep you occupied. The premise of the movie is a treasue that one can only imagine and cannot even surmise the extent of its value. Cage's family are the keepers of this secret. Every one in the family has spent his life trying to unravel the secret but failed. Cage's father's (Christopher Walken) quest for the treasure has made hima bitter man and he has given up the pusuit. However Cage is obsessed with the whole idea and keeps going at it. He teams up with a funder, but a sudden twist of events pit them against each other.

The movie will remind you of "Da Vinci Code" mostly because of the locations and the "Treasure Hunt" approach to the whole game, in addition to the cat & mouse sub-plot that is going on. This is one association the director will not be able to escape. In the course of the hunt, Cage ends up stealing the "Declaration of Independence" and it's keepers heart too. You do need the glamorous love interest to rein in some people to the theatre. It does work well. The whole hunt seems a little ambitious, but is gripping till the end.

Watch it if you are a disbelieving Cage fan, and your faith in him will be re-instated, and if you are a Cage fan, I guess you are just comparing this review to your experience at the cinema.

-Sumanth

Guest Reviewer

Swades - A Touch of Class

2005-02-02T21:44:00.000-08:00

A story woven out of wafer thin concept, driven by morals, values and ethics with simple entertainment can be translated to a highly meaningful cinema only by a genius. Ashutosh can walk with his head held high!!! He has come up with a gem of a movie, touching the emotional chords of reality. The fusion of the west and east, and its inextricable separation cannot be displayed in a more authentic way.

Swades, starts off in the backdrop of NASA, powered by the big guns of the technological field, with one of its high priority projects managed by an Indian - Mohan Bhargav, in the role of a Project Manager, aptly enacted by Shahrukh Khan. Shahrukh can be attributed to have enacted the role of his lifetime. It was really annoying to see Shahrukh in the usual run-of-the-mill roles as Rahul and what not in every other romantic flick. A highly talented actor like Shahrukh could not have had a better platform to showcase his skills. The sheer agony of having to chose NASA or charanpur to live out the remaining part of his life leaves everyone in a contemplative mood.

Mohan decides to visit India for two weeks to visit his childhood mentor, nanny(whatever) Kaveriamma. The visit to India serves as a double dose, as he gets to meet the woman of his life - Gita(Gayathri Joshi), who is an idealist with contrasting views to that of Mohan. Mohan is witness to the innumerable problems that besets the people of Charanpur. A thing as simple as electricity that remains elusive to the people of Charanpur is not taken well by Mohan. The pathos that fills him when he sees a kid selling water for 25paise at the railway station is one of the best scenes of the movie. It leaves an indelible image on the viewers even after the movie. What can he do to get the country out of the rut? Will he go back to NASA along with Kaveriamma or will he fight for the people's cause forms the crux of this well crafted movie!!!
The actors of the movie have done a fantastic job. Each scene is crafted to perfection.

Shahrukh, as Mohan delivers his dialogues in his inimitable style. Gayathri Joshi is a ravishing beauty. The scene where she presents herself during her marriage talks sticks to memory for long. The lagaan actors who play the roles of Postman and cook have done a great job. The rustic countryside is picturised beautifully. Rahman and Javed Akhtar have proved once again why they are the best in business in today's cinema. Rahman has come up with titillating tunes, and Akhtar's lyrics are simply brilliant.

All in all, a great movie for all. The critics would simply love such a movie. Whether the Hindi cinegoers are going to love such a movie is another highly debatable topic. A movie with a social message having a documentary touch has never been respected by the cinegoers and whether Swades will change the face of hindi cinema is a million dollar question that can be answered only by the collections at the box office.
A movie not to be missed for sure!!!!

-Praveen

Guest Reviewer

PAGE 3

2005-02-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

If Madhur Bhandarkar's earlier award winning Chandni Bar was not enough for you, now you have his next one "Page 3". Documentary about the "parties" "glamour" "gliterratti" told in style.

Enter Madhvi (Konkana Sen Sharma, a fair mix of Nandita Das and Tara Deshpande-little bit), young journalist covering the parties.Slowly she uncovers the ugly faces behind the masks of these party animals. She also faces the dire reactions, often by vested interests, to her honest articles about the realities that are not glamourous. Accompanied by Atul Kulkarni, she tries to cover the "crime beat" and faces the cruel realities and hardships faced by common people. She unravels the "other faces" of many party goers and many people around her circle.

That is the main story line. Woven into it are few other meaningful small stories. From "philantrophying" to "child abuse" , from "power" to "helplessness', from "facts" to "compromises", from "exploitation" to "good friendship" one gets to see the various shades of human nature and events. It packs so many stories and events yet one longs for more (of the movie, of course).

Good narration, dialogues and direction. Performances by Atul Kulkarni( and superb emotionless dialogue-do we have another nana here?), Sandya Mridul(esp the breakdown scene and parting scene), Inspector(those scary eyes!),Boman Irani are all noticeable.
Konkana Sen breathes life effortlessly into the character of journalist and a person who has to go through different emotional up-downs.

Though at times stretched a bit, Madhur makes it up with a "(ugly) story neatly told".

Befor Sunshine...

2005-02-02T03:45:00.000-08:00

This is the name of a very good movie contrary to what the name might suggest to some people. The name might bring a lot of ideas to some minds and they may watch this but am sure will be pleasantly surprised. I am in complete awe of the person who wrote this story. I imagined that Quentin Tarantino was in a class of his own but this movie is pretty close to his school of thought. The primary focus of this movie was the guy-girl chemistry. The chemistry was heightened even more by the fact that both knew that they might not meet each other again.The whole movie looks more like life captured as it happens. Ethan Hawke and Julie are so fantastic, that it does not look like their lines were rehearsed. Their questions and responses seem so natural.The movie actually starts off with the two protagonists traveling in a train and they just start vibing, which seems so natural. They are still talking and are interrupted when Ethan has to get down at Vienna. He has to catch a flight to the US the next morning. Both feel that their conversation is incomplete, and so he asks her to accompany him in Vienna till the next morning. This is where the fun starts.Every line of dialogue is written with such intelligence that it seems like we are just prying on a natural conversation. For me the whole experience was like I walked in on conversation and could not walk away until I knew how this ended. The fact that both knew that they might never see each other again, I guess made them lose their inhibitions, and they talked about every issue under the sun, including feminism, sex, past love interests, their dreams, fantasies...The best scene in the movie according to me would have to be the one in the bus. Both are seated in the last seat and the camera is on them. The bus is moving on both are involved in a conversation. The whole scenes lasts for nearly 10 minutes, and you hardly notice this fact because it seems so natural. This would have taken a lot of effort I am sure. During this scene there are some subtleties that make it even more enjoyable. This almost stands up to the scene in Mad About You, where it lasted for over 20 minutes. The whole scene was shot with Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt outside a door, with their 3-month-old daughter inside the room. Their conversation too is so captivating that you tend to forget that this was such a long scene. To make sure you appreciate this they even make a crack about this scene before the credits roll out (in typical Mad About You) fashion.

Swami and his Friends

2005-02-01T21:50:00.000-08:00

If there is a fascinating display of high quality literature that involves innocence, emotions, sentiments and playfulness of youthful characters, then this has to be the book. The sheer art of writing this book has captured the hearts of millions of people around the world.

It involves the story of a young boy, Swami(now a legendary character), who along with his friends play traunt in the Narayan created famous town of Malgudi. The sheer brilliance of the author reminds the reader of his youth, which in no way differs from the mischief of Swami. Every school has a bully which we vividly remember, and here too we have a bully in the form of Mani, a very close associate of Swami. Rajam in the form of a police officer's son becomes a very close friend of Swami and Mani. Their friendship, along with their small plans, little differences and a lot of similarities is the basic theme of this wonderfully written book. The reader after reading this book would really feel sorry for not being involved in a fun-filled world called Malgudi.

This book has been read by me close to five times, but I have carefully avoided reading the last chapter four times, simply because the simple tragedy of Rajam's farewell had left me greatly disturbed. If an author can influence the mindset of a reader with such a wonderful display of panache and ease with simple created characters, there can be nothing left except admiration for this greatly talented and gifted author. With this, I leave the readers to have a delightful insight of this book.

This book is a must read book for all!!!

-Praveen

Guest Reviewer

The Fountainhead - A symbol of solitude

2005-02-01T21:49:00.000-08:00

The book driven mainly by a single character, Howard Roarke, an architect who is the symbol of ideals, values, morals and principles leaves us in doubt. Who gets the credit? Howard Roarke or Ayn Rand, the author? Ayn Rand has created Roarke to perfection and his ability to stick to his strong ideals in the face of adversity leaves the readers with a sense of deference towards Roarke.

The main theme of the book is whether an individual has to live for himself or should he survive by appeasing the whims and fancies of all around. The latter is referred to as the Second Hander. According to the author, the creativity of the owner is modified by the second hander to get adoration and admiration that would prove to be futile in the long run. The Fountainhead is a simple story of the life of two different kind of architects - Peter Keating(second hander) and Howard Roarke(creative idealist). Roarke is suspended from Stanton institute in his final year of his architectural study as he refuses to believe in the confined system of education that provides nothing to enhance his ability. On the contrary, Keating sticks to his education which lands him in a top architect firm in New York city. The initial struggle of Roarke reduces him to penury and the roaring success of Keating(thanks to Roarke's help in various architectural drawings) makes him the top architect of the country. There is a stage in Roarke's life, where he has not paid his office rent for two months, telephone bills, electricity bills for the same duration and the remainder of his life cringes on a bank contract that he eagerly awaits. In spite of his hard-stricken financial position, Roarke has the guts to refuse the contract since the committe members suggest modifications in his drawing. This tells us the kind of stance taken by Roarke in the worst of circumstances. He undertakes all kinds of work to keep his life moving, even going to the extent of working in a quarry. At a later stage, he meets the woman of his life - Dominique Francon. They share a passionate relationship and Dominique's mind-duels with Roarke forms a very interesting and fascinating sequence. Howard Roarke's association with Gail Wynand, the owner of the prestigious newspaper The Banner, who also happens to be Dominique's husband, steps up Roward in the success ladder. Whether Roarke is successful to stick to his ideals and live out his life in peace forms the essence of this brilliantly crafted book.

Peter Keating might have been successful in the initial stages of his career, but the latter half of his career reduces him to an insignificant character. He wins the initial battles, but ultimately loses the war unlike Roarke. There are different kinds of people in the world - People who practice what they preach and people who preach what they don't do. There is another category which is totally non-existent - People who do not preach what they practice. Roarke finds his name in this elite category. He sticks to his ideals without any sense of reasoning as far as the society is concerned. He might have earned a very contumacious reputation for this attitude, but this also gives us the opportunity to peek into his reclusive ideals.

The whole book treads on the path of altruism but ends with a high note on egoism. There are two trials that Roarke has to face in his life - One for the Stoddard Case and one for the building explosion case. These are the two cases which present a totally different outlook. In the first case, Roarke presents a photographic evidence, while in the other he presents an outstanding argument to win his case.

This is a book that really gives the reader to ponder whether he is on the right path of fulfilling his dreams. Fountainhead springs forth the virtues of solitude - the ability to think alone. The highly philosophical drama embedded with strong messages is a must read for people who look forward for a book without any tinge of commercial elements - thriller, mystery or romance.

-Praveen

Guest Reviewer

English Patient...

2005-02-01T02:46:00.001-08:00

This is a romantic movie set in the second world war..It is not the mushy mushy kind of movie..more of a mature romance..with some wild passion thrown in for good measure.. It starts off with this plane being brought down and the pilot has a miraculous escape but is badly burnt and injured.. A nurse who has had her share of woes takes it upon her to help this man recover..then follows th story of how the man landed into his present state in Italy,from being an explorer in Africa....The basic premise of the film is his love story with a married woman..their passion for each other is pretty strong..but so is her love for her husband.... This film takes a sort of neutral stand on the adultery theme.. and the user can decide what he wants to see. This is something pretty difficult to achieve in a movie....since most times the directors opinion spills on to the screen...The camera work is pretty brilliant..and there are some interesting side plots too...The movie has this uncanny knack for introducing twists just when the going seems rosy... It sort of makes you stop getting all dreamy eyed and take notice... Overall this is well worth the dough I had to shell out for buying it...One word of caution though..If you are watching this at home..make sure your parents are away or at least cannot walk into your room...my folks have this unique gift for walking into the room just when the steamy scenes come on..And boy oh boy..the silence of the room is enough to put a graveyard to shame... then you get weird looks for the next day..and they start wondering if they need to marry you sooner than needed... Well in one word it gets pretty uncomfortable..oh that's two words...but what the heck...

The Day Of the Jackal....

2005-02-01T02:46:00.000-08:00

This is another good movie well worth the money I invested on it...and this too needs to be watched with a lot of care and definitely without parental invasions... this is the movie adaptaion of Fredrick Forsyth's novel of the same name.. This movie does absolute justice to the book..especially because of the cast... The remarkable fact about this movie is the lack of background music in most parts of the movie..this is actually paying the audience a compliment and acknowledging their intelligence...as the main purpose in background scores is to spoon-feed you with the right emotions... You tend to associate certain scores with certain emotions.. but here the director has managed to steer clear of it... The assasin is such a cool person..who has planned the whole thing to absolute prefection.. it is so perfect with even small contingency plans thrown in..that you want the guy to succeed...the cold-blooded way he goes about his whole mission has definitey involved a lot of research... So go find out for yourself..if the Charles de'Gaulle can survive the Jackal's plans.....

National Treasure

2005-01-30T17:24:00.000-08:00

I could watch it for second time and still go through the same excitement and fun !

Nicolas Cage and his friends are in a search for "hidden treasure". A "treasure hunt" movie along with action, good direction, good performances, precise dialogues, good pace and excitement to keep you involved - what more do you want !

Me, fresh from Da Vinci code, enjoyed this one all the more! Movie might not be a "never-seen-before-classic", but perfect for a weekend chill out.

Don't miss it!

Kisna - The warrior poet

2005-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Artistic Value (AV) - 1/2 star (for glimpses of some good cinematography)
Entertainment Value (EV) – You've got to be kidding!!!

“Nothing survives forever ………… but love”

Yeah Mr. Subhash Ghai, I had doubts about my own survival towards the end of your much awaited, much hyped epic about a warrior poet and his love story against the backdrop of the freedom movement and partition. I have to admit that you were extremely successful in raising the expectation levels of the audience especially after that dud called Yaadein. A good period flick from Ghai, who must have learnt from his past experience was what I was expecting. Instead of all that what I witnessed on screen was senseless and extremely crass quality cinema which appeared to be the work of some overzealous amateur moviemaker.

What must have attracted the initial audience which includes me? Promises of an original story? A different treatment?
Well I must say that, there was nothing, not even an ounce in the name of originality. The movie kicks off with the arrival of the firang heroine, who’s now gracefully aged and ready to share her love story (???) with the people and media through a marathon mother of all flashbacks. Titanic anyone?
As her tale progresses, we find that she falls in love (yawn!) with the gaon ka chora Kisna (a completely lost Vivek Oberoi) at the banks of the holy Ganga where they discover their “wet & wild” side (ahem!) thanks to the her Mandakini style drenched see-through white saree. Ram teri Ganga maili anyone? Utterly unconvincing.

We are also introduced to the other heroine, a hyper kinetic gaon ki chori, who at the drop of a hat goes and performs rope malkhamb or can we say “The great Indian rope trick” and fullto leg splits and acrobatics like a gymnast. I wonder what exactly her character wanted to express, but it was unintentionally hilarious and totally unwanted. Yeah, predictably enough this nutcase is totally gaga over the moron chora and thus forms a love triangle; chora-chori & woes in the form of firang heroine. Lagaan anyone?

Add to all this mayhem, the backlash against the English, Kisna and the firang’s wild goose chase, heavy & repeated Bhagwat Gita doses, a bunch of Hindus & Muslims running here and there in the name of partition, a lecher who’s only aim in life is to mate with the firang chori, a bunch of omnipresent sidekicks resembling zombies, songs that pop up anywhere and anytime, extremely irritating Hindi diction by the firangs (sometimes had me in splits), an English song (Lagaan again!) which went on and on and on, nudity (!!!) which explains “showman” Subhash Ghai’s desperation for a hit, and pray, an item mujra by Sushmita Sen who croons “chillman, chillman” which of course did little to chill me.

To sum it up:-
Vivek Oberoi’s career is in deep peril. The firang girl can feature in body lotion ads. The gaon ki chori can kiss bollywood goodbye and join some malkhamb club. Rahman’s lone song was reduced to a few lines, Darbar’s music lacked punch, some monkey was given the scissors to do the editing, the dialogues were lifted from Ramanand Sagar’s mythological serials and special mention to Subhash Ghai, the director, who must have been too embarrassed to make an appearance in this movie unlike his previous ones. Frankly, I never found any of his movies good enough, the worst being Taal and Yaadein but Kisna is miles ahead when it comes to making the audiences feel like complete baffoons. This movie proves yet again that Mr. Ghai has completely lost whatever touch he had and its high time to call it quits for heaven's sake!!!

If you want to settle scores with someone, gift him the tickets of this movie. Rest will be taken care of by the “Ghai” behind the camera.

-Arun "searching painkillers" Ganesh.

Elaan

2005-01-19T21:11:00.000-08:00

AV-*
EV-*1/2

Five unlikely heroes and their one Elaan. "Baba Sikander, Kutte Kamine main tera khoon pi jaonga." Not exactly the same style but its same after all. Here is a brief profile of our unlikely heroes who are supposed to bring Baba Sikander whose army is bigger than that of Bangladesh and Nepal combined back to India and handle it over to the Police.

Rahul Khanna : Captain of the ship knows more business than guns but his father killed by baba & his sister accusing him for the fathers death, so revenge time. Doesn’t even need training to handle guns.
Amisha Patel : Only reason she is in the movie is 'coz movie is directed by Vikram Bhatt. She looks pretty. I mean pretty ugly with her so-called new blonde look. Well she is a reporter closely watching Rahul Khanna and his mates and finally falls in love with Rahul, can’t have a better reason to join the gang; well after all the person who was killed was supposed to be her future father-in-law.
John Abraham: He’s Baba’s ex –driver. Falls in love with Lara and wants to have a clean life so pleads Baba to let him go away from his big bad world. Baba listens to him and sends him to jail. He breaks out with help of others and is on the mission with some new tattoos all over his body.
Lara Dutta: John’s sweetheart is a bar dancer,doesn’t have much to do, wear some skimpy clothes and some sizzling item songs and of course has to accompany John on the mission.
Arjun Rampal : Ex-Cop with sweet li’l daughter and living happily. Only some bad memories of his wife’s death make him join the mission. Leaves her daughter for a foolish mission, only to know he isn’t going to see her again. But the only sensible man in the gang.
Baba Sikander : Mithunda please do whatever you have done earlier. At least that appealed to some class of audience. This performance appeals to no one.
This movie is a sort of remake of any 70’s revenge movie. Nothing new in it; not only the movie has wasted my time and money but at least a million bullets. Some times I wonder why it is so difficult to hit the target even from 10mts away. And also the so called humour and Chunky Pandey in the movie are bad or more to say pathetic. You will curse yourself why did you go and see such a movie. Mr. Bhatt please stick to something which you know better ie to make remakes of Hollywood movies blindly, atleast in that you won’t come up with your own logic and audience would be happier. Rahul Khanna is only ray of hope during the entire period of 3 hours.
Moral of the movie.
If you receive extortion calls, please pay the money and spare the audience and think twice before going for another Vikram Bhatt movie.

-Aditya Parekh
Guest Reviewer

Swades - a reprise

2005-01-17T00:25:00.000-08:00

AV - ****1/2
EV - ****

Scene 1:
Made plans with the guys (equally interested in "meaningful" cinema) for late night show of Swades.
Reached home, extremely tired. Checked the watch; 8.15 PM, still one hour to go before we gather and move out for the 10 PM to 1.30 AM show.
Voices of my friends running in my mind; "It's very long and sluggish.....", "It's a flop.........", "Its a documentary......".

Scene 2:
Movie begins. A few minutes later, there comes a scene in which Shahrukh breaks down in front of his friend and professes his desire to come to India to visit Kaveri amma, his nanny; goose bumps.
The titles roll and the background music (scintillating harmonica interlude) starts to play; more goose bumps!
The proceedings, the songs, India in its vibrant colours minus Punjab, the true to life village characters, the overall earthy feeling of the movie sticking firmly to the roots and the issues discussed gave the feeling by intermission that this is indeed one of the best things that happened to Indian cinema in an otherwise lacklustre 2004.

In the post Interval scenes, there is a lot of intricate detailing which slackens the pace, but who cares if the events are unfolded in a systematic manner. Be it the whole sequence of events leading to the lighting of the bulb or the launch of the GPM satellite, everything seems so real.
The cinematography is mindblowing, the set designs and detailing flawless, the costumes are apt, the dialogues excellent - sample these:
"baraf ko apne hi paani mein pighal jaana hai"

" You do realize what you are going to lose."
"John, I know what I'm going to gain."
"You could have gone places"
" I am going places"
"Okay, go light your bulb"

The background score is one of the highlights of the movie and so is the music by the maestro himself. The tracks are simple, penned in a simple yet poetic manner and exuberate brilliance. Notable are "yeh tara, woh tara" (also for effective choreography), "yun hi chala chal" and above all "yeh jo des hai tera" which definitely must have moved all the NRIs to tears. Acting department is extremely rich & proves yet again the Gowarikar choses the right people. The post man, sarpanch, the cook and all the village characters are played to perfection. Kaveri amma's character deserves special mention, she is terrific. Gayatri Joshi looks too good and gives a decent performance. This is Shahrukh Khan's best performance till date and he genuinely deserves all the awards in the stock. He gets into the skin of Mohan Bhargava with amazing ease.
Finally, kudos to Ashutosh Gowarikar for making an earnest and classy movie. Its his tremendous confidence in the subject and the realistic treatment which reflects as pure gold on the silver screen. Wish we had more film makers like him who believes in meaningful cinema, giving us the tale of ordinary people achieving extraordinary feats with just their self belief and good faith.

Notable scenes:

Shahrukh's trip to the remote village to collect rent from a poor farmer. Touching. (such is the detailing that the next day u can observe a slight growth of stubble on his face)
The scene where he buys water from a kid in a remote railway station.
His scene with Joshi where she accedently hits him with a blackboad duster.
The scene where he says in front of the whole village that "Main nahi maanta ki hamara desh sabse mahaan hai, lekin hum mein mahaan banne ki kabiliyat hai". There was pin drop silence during this scene.
The turbine rotates generating electricity and a bulb glows in darkness, which lights up the face of an old woman. She smiles and says "bijlee." A great scene.
The final scenes at NASA.

Scene 3:
Out of the cinema with an overwhelming feeling and full bladder. Cursed the government for not making it tax free and the watchman to have locked all the toilets by then.

-Arun Ganesh

Obituary: Amrish Puri - Mogambo nahi raha....

2005-01-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

Most respected villian is a small honour to an actor who became synonymous for villian in Bollywood. But negative role was just another role for Amrish Puri who enacted father and policeman with the same conviction. From '54 till yesterday, having done over 200 movies in various languages, his choosy nature helped him gain respect and awards,thanks to his amazing screen presence. Mr India brings Amrish Puri to mind, and not Anil Kapoor. Infinite girls may have found the shade of their father after watching the desciplined father of DDLJ.The perfect voice coupled with clear and thunderous dialogue delivery did the job.His talent ensured him success, fame and money. For Bollywood, which has seen Amjad Khans to Prans and Shakti Kapoors, Amrish Puri stands out. The roles designed for Amrish Puri went to Jackie Shroff - because Amrish Puri was busier and unaffordable!!!

That voice, that laughter, those eyes might not remain but Mogambo's memories hamesha rahenge.

Ravikiran.R

Rog

2005-01-11T21:20:00.000-08:00

AV-***1/2
EV-***

"I see dead people". Perhaps this line is known to all of us. This movie is a li’l different it says "I love dead people". Irrfan, a super cop, investigating a murder falls in love with the girl who’s murdered. Sick isn’t it or better to say it’s a ROG. But after all it’s a Hindi movie in which the Hero ought to get his Lady Love. So does that girl gets resurrected or what? I’ll not reveal the mystery and no, this isn't a supernatural film.

Movie starts with Irrfan explaining a psychiatrist why he wanted to commit suicide, how he attempted it, and why he wasn’t successful. This is one of the best scenes of movie. Girl who is supposedly murdered is Ilene Hamann, a South African Model. Well there are very few words in English dictionary that can describe her and angelic, enticing and ravishing are just few of them. She is supposed to be a ROG or a virus that can creep inside any man without even his knowledge and she'll conquer his mind, body, heart and soul. Suhel Seth as a high profile writer is amazing to watch. Munish Makhija and his Dadaji are the funnier part of the movie. Bollywood has got just a handful of good actors and Irrfan is surely one of them. I regret not watching his earlier movies. Either with expression or expressionless he seems so real.

You’ll find glimpses of Basic Instinct in the movie.But its not a remake. Mr. Director is also li’l bit confused whether he is making a love story or murder mystery in the end he comes with a combo of both which is not all that bad. There are only a handful of characters in the movie so its not that tough to guess the killer. ROG is once again a film in a different genre coming from Pooja Bhatt's production house. Music by M M Kreem is good, not as good as JISM but of same type. He should definitely do more movies. Mr. Director, plz try Hollywood b’coz there would be few people who’ll understand and like your movie in Bollywood. In the end I would only say that 100 bucks not so badly spent.

Moral of the Movie:
If you are a cop investigating a murder you could end up finding your Lady Love.

Aditya Parekh
Guest Reviewer

Raincoat

2004-12-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

A colourful, story-based, strong performance movie. Deliberate attempts always show and falter.

Well, dont get confused by the mixed feelings depicted by first two statements. Its very clear. The story which was good for 40min has been dragged ruthlessly. Its very clear, its not a movie for the dreamy youngsters, romantic couples, comedy fed cinegoers. At the same time, it is not only for judges of national awards. Its not worth the time and money.

The dialogues mix soft humour,pun,sarcasm,pain,love,tragedy,failure. Infact, DIALOGUES is what you get if you remove Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya, 2 supporting cast and background light music/poems. Dialogues convey entire story. So much that movie didnt need the talented on-screen artists. But due to inherent dragging of the movie, dialogues drag at many points.

The build up of lies and later its continuation after each one knows the hallowness in the other's story but deceiving about self --- I summed up the story. Add love, pain, failure, helplessness, dreams, poverty, you get Raincoat movie. But I would have prefered book, instead.

Excessive reference to bathroom was un-necessary. And that analogy of "helpless life" to "locked-in-bathroom" simply does not fit! Boy, bathroom's door can be broken open ! Well, let me not continue the mistake of making the same analogy. "Only 3 characters in a house" theme reminded me of "Kaun"...Tch another bad comparision.

Ajay and Aish do well in all dept - facial expressions, dialogue delivery, body language. Anu Kapoor as land lord and __ (dont remember her name) as Bhabhi leave impressions.

The late-realisation of Bhabhi's story by the audience convey that it is not yet prepared to incoherent stuff. But the movie on the whole, falters.

Dont torture yourself going to a movie-hall, try CD if you "must".

Swades

2004-12-22T04:31:00.000-08:00

AV-****
EV-N/A (Please Don't watch this movie for entertainment purpose)

All SRK and Gowariker fans expecting something along the lines of DDLJ or Lagaan please avoid the movie. You will be terribly disappointed. There is no SRK element in the movie. The movie is about Mohan Bhargava a simple, down to earth Indian residing in U.S for last twelve years. He comes India for a reason and is left with so many reasons not to go back. It’s his struggle with himself to be where he is supposed to be and where he wants to be. Gayatri Joshi is perfect love at first sight kind of a girl.

The movie has such a great flow that gradually transforms a NASA scientist to desi Thomas Alva Edison, from a mineral water seeker to drinking water in Kulhad, From business class to triple seat and finally NRI to Never Leaving Indian. It’s not a heavy movie which addresses big issues of nation, but a very light movie about solving the issues at grass root level. All the characters are so beautifully written and even more graciously enacted. Hats off to Gowariker for making Mohan Bhargava look so real and making such a meaningful and a simple movie.

SRK‘s best performance till date. Not sure that there would be any takers for Oscar but Filmfare and National awards are all yours. A must see movies for all NRIs; may be they won’t come back but they will surely miss their ‘Swadesh’. It may not do wonders at BO but will leave many questions that have to be answered by "We, The People".

MORAL OF THE MOVIE :
Wherever you go, there's always a Homecoming.!!! (Reminds me of Sweet Home Alabama)

-Aditya Parekh
Guest Reviewer.

Album- Rabbi

2004-12-17T10:20:00.000-08:00

Rating- ****

Sardar with a guitar. Unlikely combo, isn’t it?

Well in this age, when we are so used to hearing U.K returned bhangra specialist Punjabi mundas, who sing (really?) the same old numbers with express beats, Rabbi Shergill comes as a welcome relief with his maiden self titled album.

The beginning:
I came across this news channel interviewing Rabbi. At first, I dismissed him as a stereotype, but then I was captivated when he began to strum and sing. I thought “gosh! this guy is actually good”. Then came the video “Bulla ki jaana” and I was sure that I had to buy this album.

The chase:
Finding the Rabbi CD was a tough job. All the shopkeepers dished out Mohd Rafi CDs. Worse, one guy came out with a game CD of Rugby!!!

The experience:
The chase ended and I finally settled down with my CD. The 1st track “bulla ki jaana”, penned beautifully by 18th century Sufi saint Bulla Shah, is arguably one of the best composed songs in recent times. The variation in Rabbi’s voice is amazing and this track totally rocks with its tune and strumming. The 2nd track “tere bin” is extremely catchy and is fast becoming one of my favourites. “Heer” is a typical punju number with great beats and the use of rock guitar is done neatly. “Ishtihaa” is a soul number with great vocals, but tends to get heavy after a couple of listenings. “Totya” has got some good guitar riffs, “ajj nachna” is kinda regular punju song. “Gill de guitar” is the most catchy of the lot with the makings of a great buddy number like “purani jeans”. Look out for the distorted guitar again. “Ek geet hijar” can make a good lounge number. The last track “jugni” is more or less a song with social relevance, a slow number, more thought provoking than entertaining.

All said and done, this is an outstanding album strongly influenced by Rock, Funk, Bhangra, Classical and Folk music. In short, it can be labelled as a genre busting record. Rabbi, with his great vocals and excellent use of guitar has come out with one of the most creative albums in recent times.

Word of caution:

All lyrics in Punjabi, thankfully the booklet contains English translation of all the songs.

Those who are heavily into remixes and bubble gum pop/ hip hop acts can conveniently avoid this album.

-Arun Ganesh

Novel- Da Vinci Code

2004-12-16T04:22:00.000-08:00

Rating- ****

A curator is murdered.
A renowned symbologist who was aiding in the investigation becomes the prime suspect.
A beautiful detective with a troubled past comes to his rescue.
And an amazing maze of riddles and puzzles lead the duo from one level to another.

Thus begins the long run to prove his innocence and en route, opening the pandora’s box to many startling facts related to ancient practices and beliefs which ultimately points to the most sought after artifact known to mankind.

Dan Brown succeeds immensely in creating an eerie atmosphere, which you can easily visualize while cruising through the novel. It brings forth and actually educates the reader about the ancient brotherhood, the maestro called Leonardo Da Vinci and the hidden symbols behind his works, Jesus and the myth surrounding him, the manipulative methods used by the Church to strengthen the people’s belief in their system and much more. Though the descriptive nature of the novel tends to get a bit heavy on the senses, the journey of Havard symbologist Robert Langdon and detective cum code breaker Sophie Noveau is very well etched with complete twist and turns and that occasional sudden rush of adrenalin. However, the suspense element surrounding the mastermind behind the murder and the climax is somewhat a letdown. Well, that maybe because the novel with its slick narration and intelligently crafted sequences raises your expectation levels to dizzying heights. Barring these two, the novel is fantastic. A perfect mould for a Hollywood thriller, which is already in the pipeline with Tom Hanks all set to play Robert Langdon.

Da Vinci Code is an intelligent and fast paced thriller. Its amazing to know the extend to which the author has researched on the crux of the novel. It has also received much flak from the religious community, thus making it one hell of a controversial stuff, which is exactly why I longed to read it. Definitely looking out for the second installment and the movie, ofcourse!

-Arun Ganesh

Musafir

2004-12-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

AV- N/A
EV-** (One for Sanjubaba another for Sameera Reddy)

What happens when a carton of Cigars, a dozen pistols, some skimpily clad females, a Harley Davidson and Sanjubaba are put together? Simple, Sanjay Gupta will make a movie out of it. Musafir is all about a s*****d up Anil Kapoor and his lip-locking romance with Sameera Reddy. Strange, Anil Kapoor's first movie was in 1982 and that time Sameera Reddy was in her nappies. There’s a little difference in the size of the clothing that Sameera has worn in this movie compared to her nappies. Buddhadeb Dasgupta must be out of mind while comparing Sameera Reddy with Smita Patil- either he hasn't seen any of the Smita Patil's movies or he is so much impressed by Sameera's clothing or whatever of that sort is present on her body. But she is sure to sent some current down.

Munnabhai is back with what he knows the best thats BHAIGIRI. He is the perfect role model for all the Dons and he can also write up a book, "How to live the life of a Don". Such is his aura that you would love to be in his shoes. Rest there is nothing to talk about the movie. First half of the movie is a good building block whereas second half act as a catastrophe. Still couldn't figure out who's woeful story was true Sameera's or Mahesh Manjrekar's. None of the performances are bad. Mr. Gupta, next time you make a movie please spent some time on the Storyline instead of giving each character a new look. One liners are quite good but adult rated. A must see movie for all those to-be badies. Mummy-Daddy , Uncle-Aunty, Saas-Bahu serials are much better.

Trivia : Whats the difference between Kante, Plan and Musafir ?
The Cast, Songs, Locations and Sanjubaba has a new look in every movie. ( Story hardly matters)

Moral of the Movie:
It hardly conveyed anything, and for what it did, it hardly made sense.

-Aditya Parekh
Guest Reviewer.

Ocean's 12

2004-12-12T11:47:00.000-08:00

Cinema: Fame Malad

AV - ***1/2
EV - ***1/2

"Twelve is the new eleven"
So who is the new addition? Well, you got to figure that out yourself. Surprise, Surprise! All I can say is that Ocean's new recruit's part is as unbelievable as the plot!

Benedict (Andy Garcia) is hell bent on getting his money back and he tracks down all our master thieves one by one.
His demand - simple; return all his money with 3 years' interest. Our rich and jobless mavericks have to "earn" that gigantic sum in 2 weeks flat. So they move down to Amsterdam for a new loot. There Daniel (Clooney) & co. finds that they are actually challenged by a master thief, “Night fox” who set them up with the help of Benedict. What’s worse is that their moves are watched closely by a gorgeous detective Isabel Lahiri (Catherine Zeta Jones) who happens to be the ex-flame of Rusty (Brad Pitt). Danny accepts the ace thief’s challenge to steal a precious egg (shaped like that, pure gold studded with jewels). Thus starts the usual wait and watch and pounce game.

Frankly speaking, the proceedings are so fast that it took me a while to keep up with the frenzy pace. Inputs from my friend beside me helped. The movie is laced with the characteristic smart lines and humour; it will take one more sitting to get them all in place, which means the movie is definitely worth watching. The cast is in excellent form. The imaginative camera work (note the angles, the deliberate out of focus shots & handheld camera movements) is definitely an added attraction. Add to that, the jazzy soundtrack adds zing to the proceedings.

Though the proceedings are much more complex and unbelievable than the 1st part, this movie gives you enough laughs & engaging moments. Here’s is a good weekend movie which is both entertaining and stylish. Keep your eyes and ears open, even the best can miss a few wisecracks.

-Arun Ganesh.

Should Management Gurus make movies?

2004-12-09T01:54:00.000-08:00

Management guru Arindam Chaudhary is making a movie- "Rok sako to Rok lo" and no he isn't challenging anyone to stop him from doing it. But I feel the BO fate of his movie will put breaks on all his best laid plans to strike big in bollywood. I fail to understand the jist behind the promotion work he is doing for his movie. The print ads are all over the place, almost everyday it takes up half a page in Bombay Times. By just looking at the ad, it seems that Mr Chaudhary has put in his management skills to work; only this time it looks grossly out of context.
The print ad is highly descriptive - It goes on and on introducing the characters to you, a technique witnessed 1st time in bollywood. The lines such as "latest heartthrob of the nation" and "you will fall in love with her" are arguably the cheesiest lines I have heard. It also goes the extra mile introducing and describing even the "hey, I am in this movie too" characters. About the latest heartthrob- Isn't he the same guy who was in that insane movie called "Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai"? Going by his acting prowess, I can surely say that he is sure to give many a viewers a throbbing headache! The girl is cute and looks earnest. Let's see if she can make it big from here, I seriously have my doubts.

You may wonder as to why I am criticizing the lead pair so much. Well for starters the excessively descriptive print ads also feature opinions from dailies like the Hindustan Times which goes to the extent of comparing them with Aamir-Juhi pair in QSQT. PR stunts revealing its ugly side again, money can make anyone sing praises of the unworthy!My word to the management guru is to refrain from these self-indulging ads which are not capturing the attention of the reader but unnecessarily bombarding him with the bitter daily dose of "Hey u dumbo moviegoer, Yash Pandit and Manjari Fadnis are everywhere". Inko Rok sako to rok lo, anyone? Also their supposed promotion work for the movie in a talk show by Shekhar Suman was anything but effective.

The movie seems like a rip off of JJWS, Josh and Main Hoon Naa (gawd!) combined. The filmmaker seems to be betting on the Sunny Deol charm to lure the masses out of the obscure corners of Bhatinda and Patiala. And pray, why did they make him dance? The TV promos show Sunny breaking into a crane dance (or was it snake dance? Howlarious!). Some people learn the hard way. The producer sems to be heavily banking on his star power.Namrata Shirodkar is conveniently left out from the promos. Her presence, as expected, will not add much to the weight of the film. Music gives you a sense of deja-vu.

All said and done, this movie has lean chances at the BO, considering its opponents are Swades & Musafir. Mr Chaudhari, would you please avoid such an elaborate instruction manual kind of ad for your next venture.

-Arun Ganesh

Shrek 2

2004-12-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Hired a VCD

AV- ***

EV- ***1/2

Sequels usually have a tough time living up to the expectations of their predecessor. Shrek 2 does it and how!

Everyone's favourite ogre (Mike Myers) is busy honeymooning with his new "beautiful" bride Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz).Their perfect world goes topsy-turvy when the King and Queen of Far Far Away (Fiona's parents) invites the newlyweds to their kingdom.Little did they know that Fiona's rescuer cum husband is a green hideous monster and so is their daughter.The king is furious and wants his daughter back, the way she was. He is also tormented by the Fairy Godmother who's son Prince Charming wassupposed to marry Fiona. The king takes the ultimate step and hires an assasin, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) to bump off Shrek. Then starts the hilarious journey of Shrek with his pet donkey (Eddie Murphy) and his fairtale friends to getaway with Fiona from all this royal mess.

Shrek 2, though cashing in on the immense popularity of the first part, is a very lovable fare. The quality of animation has improved a great deal.Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy & Antonio Banderas are in terrific form. The dialogues are quite witty and the sequences are bound to raise a few chuckles.Notable are Shrek's confrontation with Puss in boots, Shrek's meeting with donkey after the honeymoon, Shrek and Fiona's journey to Far far away & that hilarious take off on Mission Impossible dangling stunt by Pinocchio.

All in all good fun, though I still believe that the first part was a notch higher. Waiting in anticipation what Dreamworks will showcase in the third installment of Shrek.

-Arun Ganesh

Fahrenheit 9/11

2004-12-06T00:57:00.000-08:00

Cinema- Regal (South Mumbai)
ticket - Rs 50/-
AV- **** (for sheer research, grit & compilation)
EV- ***1/2

You will love it, or simply hate it & doze off.
There is no "chalega", "okay-dokay" kind of reactions to this movie/ docu drama which sends a strong anti- Bush message.
Michael Moore has achieved the near impossible task of making a documentary which is not only engaging but also hilarious in parts and satirical to a large extent and when the person in question is none other than the President of the superpower nation, you simply can't stop admiring his zest & courage to raise his voice against the supposed "defaulter" in such a fierce manner.

The first half of the movie stresses on the rise of Bush, his controversial win, his work (or the lack of it) and his dubious contacts. This half is hilarious and fast paced compared to the 2nd one in which the focus shifts on to the war and the victims, which makes the proceeding a bit slow. The interactions with the family members of the dead soldiers in Iraq is moving, but after a while drags a bit. The collage of images and clips compiled from various news channels are edited and presented in a crisp and orderly fashion. Apart from these, the exhaustive research work done by Moore is commendable, almost as if he is out on a vendetta. Much of the venom is spewed in the form of clips which showcases Bush as an airhead, unconcerned and selfish individual who will put the lives of his own countrymen in peril for his vested interests. Add to that, Moore's caustic and witty remarks, are bound to haunt Bush.

Notable scenes:

Bush's completely blank expression after his security informs him of the WTC attack. He continues to read "my pet goat" to the children of a school.
An angry Iraqi woman cursing Americans. Her wailings are bound to raise a lump in ur gut.
Interview with the mother of a deceased soldier. His paycheck was for 26 days, 'cos he didnt serve the army for four days. WHY? He was a dead man on the 27th day!
Bush clan's connections with the Saudis.
Moore interviewing the members of the congress to know if they are willing to send their children to Iraq.

Two of my friends dozed off during the picture but I was hooked throughout.
2 hrs and 15 mins running time, but worth it.
Osama has already seen it. If u have'nt, what are u waiting for?

-Arun "anti-bush" Ganesh

Album- Swades.

2004-12-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

Rating: ***1/2

What inspired me to buy this album was the catchy "Yeh tara, woh tara" number doing the rounds in the idiot box and the fact that this was the same team which gave us the superlative "Lagaan" (Gowarikar, Rahman & Javed Akhtar). With a title like Swades, one can easily expect songs with the "desi touch" and heavily on the lines of Lagaan. The songs are simple and sweet, without the typical Rahmanisque techno treatment and frenzy rhythm. They can be more or less put into the "easy listening" genre.

"Yeh tara, Woh tara", "Yeh jo des hai" & "Dekho naa" are potential chartbusters. "Yun hi chala chal" has a nice rhythm and "Ahista, Ahista" will go down well with people looking for some good melody. The two instrumentals can be best stated as soothing.

This album is a welcome relief from the usual "dinchak-dinchak" tracks one gets to hear these days. It will take some listenings to get into the groove, like most Rahman tunes. Go for it if u appreciate Indian tunes and some good melody.

-Arun Ganesh.

Veer–Zaara

2004-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

Story is one thing; story telling is another thing. Script is one thing; movie-making is another thing. If both are strong, the result is a block-buster. If shortcoming in one can be made up through the other, one would still sit through it. Veer-zaara belongs roughly to this category.

Rani, a lawyer, wants to fight to regain the identity and respect of Veer (SRK) who has been jailed for past 22 years. In the flashback we come to know that - Veer, a rescue operations Hindustani soldier, falls in the love with Zaara (Priety), a Pakastani, who has come to India on a mission. But she is already engaged and is to be wed. In the backdrop of political compulsions and other stuff that are not very easy to digest , story continues. After unreasonable twists and turns, the train finally manages to stop and audience head towards home.

For most part of the movie it looked like a DDLJ remake (intro song of heroine/one last tour of heroine/meeting hero in that tour/ heroine already engaged / ready to get married after returning from tour/ Punjabi songs and dialogues / heroine’s late realization of love/ hero entering the heroine’s marriage preparations).But later in a very compulsive need to create a different story, the movie wanders.
A conscious effort to woo audience is visible in “deliberate linking & liberal usage of Hindustani-Pakistani”, glorifying love, hyperbole dialogues, punjabi touch.

Performance by Srk is controlled and is ok. Preity, Rani do justice. Supporting cast of Anupam Kher, Amitabh, Hemamalini, Manoj Bajpai, Boman Irani add weight with their screen presence.

Yash Chopra movies used to create some unknown magic and everlasting dreamy feeling.

-Ravikiran R

Vaastushastra (Bomb sweet bomb)

2004-12-02T00:40:00.000-08:00

Cinema: Metro (South Mumbai)
Ticket: Rs 60 + 15 (samosa)
Artistic Value (AV): *
Entertainment Value (EV): **

If "Bhoot" scared you, this will kill you ............. screamed the posters.
If u believe this,then chances are that I am a dead man talking or a fortunate mortal who lived to tell this tale, after witnessing the mayhem on screen.
Some questions that bothered me:

Who are these ghosts? Why were they killed when they were humans
(ofcourse!)?
What was the significance of the spooky tree in the movie? Is there any
protocol which says that "life" of the dead ( what the hell? ) is
dependant upon a leafless Banyan tree?
Why are the occupants of the new house tormented? Is there any iota of reasoning?
How come ghosts who are usually invisible but in a flash can appear in full flesh (no blood) and grab your #$@&* neck?
Does overdoing the same old screechy sound effects in "Bhoot" make the proceedings scarier?
Why is Ramgopal Verma's "Factory" churning out more trash than Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation?

Sense and sensibility is lost somewhere, not a trace of originality, no story or can we say "Bhoot" recycled with more number of characters who have no backgrounds. Clearly this movie loses in all aspects. Well if the intention was to just scare the daylights out of you, then I must say that "Vaastushastra" has its moments of glory, but that's it. However, the proceedings are so predictable that the fear factor is considerably reduced at times and (yawn!) I could get a sound sleep at night!

Of the performances, Sushmita Sen brings out the right expressions, the kid is a treat to watch and Rajpal Yadav as the madman is superb. Chakravarty aka Satya sleepwalks thoughout the movie and VJs Pia and Purab are best during their make out scene.
That brings me to the golden question- Is this movie better/scarier than "Bhoot"? NO.
Wish I had spent those 60 bucks on a mug of draught beer!

Arun "newagemovieguru" Ganesh.

Spiderman, Spiderman............

2004-12-02T00:30:00.000-08:00

Cinema: Thakur Cinema
AV- ***
EV- ****1/2
Spiderman as a pizza delivery boy................................. sounds exciting, isnt it?
Thats exactly how the movie takes a start. Peter Parker aka Spiderman, desparately tries to live the life of a regular collge going guy working as part time pizza delivery boy and photographer and still finding time to put on his mask and save the city. His ideals in life are strong, that s why he sacrifices his love for a bigger cause but Mary jane (Krist Dunst) still haunts him.

Mary jane (MJ) is a broadway star now and had many suiters after her tryst with Peter, but finally chose a celebrity hunk to settle down in holy matrimony. Bad news for Parker, who just cant express his love, even for a last hopeless attempt to win her. His grades are falling and he is generally tired after all that superhero stuff and what s worse, he has lost his job. Add to all these miseries, he is losing his superpowers. He cant spin the web now and he is getting weaker day by day; a classic case of a weak mind, leading to a weak body. Enough is enough, no more spiderman, decides Peter and abandons the mask and costume for a normal life - the city suffers, Paker enjoys his newfound life, proposes MJ and waits.

Meanwhile, a scientist, on an experiment for successful demonstration of controlled fusion in a lab, gets demonic after the experiment fails and he loses everything including his wife. Gifted with 2 pairs of metallic "limbs" he strikes havoc on the city for funds to restart his deadly research work.
Spiderman needs to strike back and come out of his "out of form" state and yes he does build on that confidence. MJ falls for him again, aha, but trouble again; he is no more a carefree lad but he is SPIDERMAN.
What follows then is pure techo wizardy. The action sequences takes ur breath away. Boom bang crash and lots more. Noteworthy is the train fight sequence and whenever he flies spinning his web; popcorn in its purest form.

Acting dept is adequate, with Toby Maguire getting into the skin of the character with ease. The new Villain is great and so are the rest of the cast. This installment of Spidey is more about relationships and human emotions and it tells us how ordinary ppl can achieve exatraordinary feats with just the will power and ofcourse as the classic line goes " with great power comes great responsibility". Finally, the lesson that good prevails over evil.
The down to earth boy/girl/aunty next door characters gives the movie and the series a feel good and real image, unlike the wildly imaginative Batman series.
Go for the ultimate spin, dude.

-Arun Ganesh

The Village - Night shines again.

2004-12-02T00:20:00.001-08:00

Place- Thakur Cinema
Rating:
Aritstic Value (AV) - ****
Entertainment Value (EV) - ***1/2

"Never wear bad colour, they don't like it"

"Never go into the woods" - screamed the newspaper promos. You ask urself, who are "they"?

Chances are after finding out who "they" really are, u will be a bit disappointed, but there is no denying that the Shyamalan has cooked up enough curry to safisfy your cinematic hunger. Though I will always stand by the point that this movie does not have the 'shock element' ( a la Sixth sense) but definitely the 'surprise element'. There is a thin line which seperates these two aspects.

Firstly the thing I usually hate to do - Comparison, but here when all the movies I 'm comparing falls into the same genre and from the same man, I won't hesitate. Firstly, this movie isn't scary or does not create that eerie atmosphere throughout (6th sense, Signs), however, there are moments of tension and that sudden surge of adrenalin ( sound effects!). The narration is pretty fast ( unlike the previous 3 movies) and easy to comprehend and there seems to be a deliberate attempt by the guy himself to make the proceedings a bit easygoing ( movie for the masses???). And thankfully the ending does not disappoint, like Signs.

Cut to this 19th century village surrounded by woods, where the folks fear the spooky people of the woods. There are certain rules rules laid down by the council of seniors to live in harmony which are as simple as "Dont intrude each others' territory". Lucious ( Jaquin Phoenix) wants to go to the nearby town for reasons such as medicine stocks etc which are not available in their village, but gets stiff oppositions from the elders as he has to pass through the woods in order to reach the town. That is not such a bright idea as the long clawed "people of the woods" will skin him alive, and attack them and their livestock, according to legends. So, Lucious is in a sticky situation and the village is cut off from the rest of the world.

Disaster strikes as he is fatally injured in an accident (well I wont reveal that) and his blind ladylove offers to leave for town in search of medicines. Elders assume that she'll be spared as she has a handicap ( are the creatures kind hearted enough???). What next follows is her treacherous & scary journey and the unfolding of the mystery and the really out of the world (surprise, surprise) penultimate moments. Only Shyamalan can pull of such a mindbender with class touch.

Performances are good, especially the blind girl's and the mentally challenged guy's. Phoenix is superbly restraint. Critics in US have slammed this movie, but I believe that there is almost only one guy (yeah, spielberg is alive) who can pull off an out and out imaginative , brooding, suspence cum horror cum artistic picture like this.

Go for it without any second thoughts.

-Arun Ganesh

Yuva

2004-12-02T00:20:00.000-08:00

What happens when too many talents come under one roof ? Utter chaos ? Fortunately not so , when they are guided by a person who is a master of his task. Manirathnam one such master , clearly knows the strengths and weaknesses of his team.
Yuva, a cinematically near perfect show piece unfolds in front of you , describing the life of three youngsters. One ,a lower middle class "tapori" being exploited by the big-shots in politics. Whence , he realizes his being exploited , he decides to take a hold on it. And to achieve that , he can go to any limit.
Other , higher middle class person , having ambitions to pursue higher studies abroad. A typical rich,party going, flirt, vulnerable teenager. Clearly knows what he wants ( though that gets changed ). And last but not least , middle class college going person , does not like what ever is going on and takes a plunge into setting it right. He sure knows the difficulties , but then , is also sure of his success.
What comes striking is the fact that these youngsters are not the puppets of the situations , instead dare enough to control it for themselves. Clearly acknowledging the mindset of today's generation.
The three plots are tightly woven and brilliantly crafted. The characters are well defined. The performances are just flawless. The cinematography, dialogues ( though it requires good concentration and knowledge of mavalli hindi in some parts), music are all good in their own standards. Particularly, song picturization of Anjaana is good.
Around the voilence , the hard core of the story , are woven plots to expose the subtelities/nuances of relationships. Be it the voilent love or i-didnt-know-you yesterday but i-will-miss-you tomorrow kinda feelings or be it its-all-nonsense-but-i-love-u kinda unbothered attitude, they succeed in striking a chord.
The sudden emotional bursts, the pace of events and turn of events will surely remind an avid bollywood watcher Satya (or Company). The brilliant use of flashbacks , like in Alay payuthe, is very effective. Confused Mani of Dil Se is replaced by very focussed Mani of Yuva.
Coming to performances, Rani Mukhorjee, displaying good variety of emotions , is good. Kareena is ok. Esha is cute. Om puri with Bongal accent is good.
AD like wine ,is getting better and better in every movie. His confident looks , those expressive eyes add to his natural ability of impressive perfomance. And choclate boy, VO is cute and good enough. He also succeeds with good timing for comic shades. Hats off to AB , who had remained an unpolished gem. His sorrowful looks , voilent eyes and the gangster voice vouches him the perfect role. The dialogue delivery is simply brilliant. I think even BigB will be proud of his son's ability in dialogue delivery and facial expressions.

Fortunately , there is atleast one Mani , who polishes gems like Madhavan(who incidentally has enacted AB's role in Tamil version) and AB.
Watch the movie, if you dont look for only entertainment.

-Ravikiran R

Boys (Tamil)

2004-12-02T00:10:00.001-08:00

Boys------------ I wish hindi film makers had the guts to make a movie like this.................. an out and out youth oriented theme with 5 newcomers and that too on a 20 crore budget, now that sounds like a big risky proportion.
Obviously inspired from the American Pie movies, this film has a desi touch along with a very urbanisque look. The desi factor being the common problems and dilemmas faced by millions of adolescents in this country, their fantasies and outlook towards the opposite sex. At some point we start to identify with the characters, atleast once we have gone through these phases.
Unlike DCH, this movie is quite crude in terms of the content and presentation, but still a quality product in terms of execution and technical wizardry. note esp the camera movements & special effects ( sometimes terribly out of sync with the situation like the song ale ale and boom boom)
The twists in the plot are too many, which bolly wood cant imagine and dare to show. the movie is very much real life like, the behaviour of guys, no supermangiri etc. Shankar has done a superb job, alas this fare wont be appreciated by the family audiences.
The biggest highlight of this movie is the extraordinary music by the maestro himself. rahaman proves once again that he can give any pop superstar a long run for his money. The compostions are very popish and techno driven, but he has the soul at the right place. The groovy rhythm is too infectious ( Ale Ale), the voice of lucky ali in "secret of success" and the haunting tune makes it a pop favourite." Break the rules" has got that raw energy which is the characteristic of rahman, "girlfriend" is extremely catchy, but the pick of the lot is "dating" - which is very funky and in true rahman style is a great fusion number - carnatic vocals with rap, now guys beat that.
The performances are very likeable, Genelia d'souza looks soooooooooo pretty. all in all, a cool movie with its ups and downs, though not of the DCH calibre, but still holds for the sheer energy and enthusiasm.

-Arun Ganesh

My new rating system for movies..........

2004-12-02T00:10:00.000-08:00

From today onwards, I have decided to review and rate movies on 2 aspects.
1. Artistic Value (AV) - It describes the painstaking details with which a movie is made. Flaws are really difficult to pin point. the directors intention is sincere, at the same time he has not made the movie for himself ( like Shyam Benegal & Adoor Gopalakrishnan). No compromise is made in the research for the story/ subject and both technically and artistically the movie is sound. Caution - may not be entertaining.
Eg- Mohanlal starrer Sazaa- E - kalapani
AV- ****
EV- **
2. Entertainment Value (EV)- Unlike the AV, this aspect takes care how u feel after the movie is done. Whther it was disappointing experience or even after somewhat a low AV rating, the movie held ur interest & more importantly whether it was paisa vasool.
Eg - govinda starrer Coolie NO; 1
AV- *
EV- ***1/2
In this way u can judge what to expect from a movie; whether it will satisfy ur cinematic soul or just the senses or even better; both.

-Arun"newagemovieguru"Ganesh

Lakshya - Bang on target

2004-12-02T00:00:00.001-08:00

1st things 1st:-

Lakshya is the best Indian war movie/ movie with army as backdrop ever
made.
Farhan Akhtar is the currently the best film maker in Bollywood.
War movie veterans like J.P Dutta may please take coaching classes from
Farhan.
Shankar Ehsaan Loy is the only hope after A.R. Rahman.
Special effects have finally arrived in Bollywood.

What was I expecting while going for this movie? After the phenomenon called DCH, I was surely expecting a masterpiece, and that too on the same lines, for eg: quality comedy, cool dialogues and loads of urban feel good factor. But I was surprised, thought pleasantly only after the movie ended, after witnessing an entirely different movie with an entirely different theme and mood as compared to DCH. Though the warm moments and feel good
(great!) factor was always there.

It was brave on the director's side to go for a different theme this time around, and that too when the audience is expecting something similar to the previous one, and that too on a gigantic budget like 30 crores.

The story of a confused guy finally dicovering himself and his goals &
his emotional scene on the phone with his father reminds you of Aamir
khan's character in DCH.
The modern gal not taking the nonsense from her fiance and dumping him reminds you of zinta's character in DCH
and the good natured rich kids in designer clothes and funky hairdos living in palatial homes are the only common elements with Farhan's previous venture.

Kashmir never looked so beautiul through the lens. The evocative background score(in the lines of Titanic and lord of the rings) lingers in ur mind even after the movie is over. The combat scenes are shot with elan, noteworthy are the grainy scenes during war that lends an authentic look (was that purposely done???). The whole package looks very slick, chic and very international.

Performances are top class- Hrithik has proved that he is one of the most versatile actors in the country. This range of emotions from plain confused to the focussed and responsible are done with panache. Priety is outstanding. Big B plays second fiddle, but his role as the commanding officer packs a lot of punch. Om puri is classic. Boman Irani once again shows that he has a great screen presence (in fact the there was audible excitement from the audience on his entry!!!). Music is 1st class esp the title song, choreography & special effects superb.

The authentic locations and true to life feel of the film minus jingoism makes it a class product. Farhan Akhtar succeeds where others failed - evoking true sense of patriotism without going overboard. u can easily make out that this is definitely a class product, done with a lot of sincerity.

Worth repeated viewing!!!

-Arun Ganesh

AB TAK CHAPPAN

2004-12-02T00:00:00.000-08:00

A gangster sitting in a local cafe ( it is our very own Guptaji's!!!) discussing criminal plans, suddenly he is rounded up by cops who form the special squad. Sadhu Agashe ( Nana) along with his junior Francais ( Kunal Vijaykar). The criminal freezes. Sadhu sits beside him putting an arm around him like friends, the atmosphere becomes tense. Gangster tells sadhu "mujhe malum hai saab, aap mera game bajane ko aaya hai". Sadhu nods negative and takes him to Nasik instead.
On the way they stop to have tea, the cop pulls out his gun and places on the gangster's head and asks whether he has any girlfriends. He says two, they laugh, more laughter .......................BANG!!! News flashes that a hardcore criminal is shot dead en-route nasik in an encounter. (shocking sequence as Bhiku Mhatre's death in Satya)

This opening scene alone was worth my ticket price of 130/- (stall). Ramgopal Verma with his new found director walks the Satya lane, and with much confidence and style. If Satya was a true masterpiece, then this is nearly one - gritty, crude, bloody, violent, true to life, enough to make Karan Johar blush!!!

The 1st half of the movie cruises with rocket speed, the second half though a bit slow comparitively, has enough grip to hold u to the edge of the seat. The suspense element is also good enough.The only flaw being the open ended finale, which reminds me of "Hindustani", in which Kamal hassan vows to fight the enemy from overseas.

Performances:
NANA PATEKAR is a genious. He has never been so controlled and perfect. Arguably , this is his best performance till date. Be it his laughter, brooding looks or extreme pain which is subdued and finally comes out in the end. He fits perfectly into the role; can somebody give him an oscar please!!! Revathy as his wife is extremely natural, though she's got a small role. The junior astist as his son is excellent.
Kunal Vijaykar & the serial actor(forgot his name) is effective as Sadhu's faithful sidekicks. Yashpal sharma (the rogue of the village in Lagaan) looks very different and fits the role of the jealous subordinate to a T. All the performances by smaller artists (esp the guy from South as the new joint commisioner) are worth applauding. The camerawork is amazing, the background score is HAUNTING ( Vishal bharadwaj). Do see this movie on big screen with an excellent Sound system. Thankfully no songs!

So finally here is a movie, made by RGV, stars Nana with a knockout performance and remeniscent of Satya with all the elements of a perfect cop v/s gansters drama with striking reality. What else do u want?
Bury ur head in sand of u missed this movie. Even Khakhee looks pale!!!

-Arun Ganesh

Lakshya

2004-12-01T23:50:00.000-08:00

The biggest challenge that the movie faces is the audience' expectations based on the fact that director's previous movie was DCH. Icing on the cake is the subject/plot that is a risk for even an experienced movie maker.But, Farhan Akthar comes out unscathed in his valiant attempt.
The plot is about Karan, his joining and serving army. Is about Roomie, her level headed ness, her career. Their sweet love. Is about Indian Army, the challenges faced by the soldiers, the enemies and the sweet victory. The sweat, pain and bloodshed suffered before the victory. Is about landscapes , beauty and cruelty of nature in which the brave soldiers remain awake so that we sleep peacefully.

On the upside , the narration is smooth. Plot is simple. The dialogues are short and effective. The beautiful scenary is caught in camera very effectively. The shooting of war, steep rock climbing , amazing background score help to hold the grip on the audience.

On the other hand, few songs were avoidable. Some more stuff could have been put into character building. What happened to lyricist in Javed Akthar ?

Comparisions to DCH are inevitable. Heroine is engaged, engaged again to a dictator. Engagements are easily broken. Hero is undecided / unwilling to decide about future(aka Akash). Hrithik's hangover from KoiMilGaya in the initial phase.

AB and other supporting actors do their bit of justice.

The various thoughts and emotions of Karan has been enacted with delicate brilliance and maturity by Hrithik. Ditto by Preity. The dialogue between Karan and his father on phone, and that silence between Karan and Roomie before he sets out on final mission and that emotional un-controll-ability on two particular occasions were very touchy.(One , when Karan sees Roomie on TV and the other when he shows the peak as his Lakshya to her).

And there are few other such frames when you can get involved in the movie or get charged up about the movie during the war scenes. Thats precisely where Farhan succeeds. Hit or flop, movie is well made.

And Farhan, perfection ko improve karna mushkil hai.
Jai Jawan. Jai Hind!

-Ravikiran R

Main Hoon Naa - saved by PR agents and amateur audience.

2004-12-01T23:41:00.000-08:00

Rating- *

Main Hoon naa, a movie which has rocked box office, here and abroad. Sad but true, I watched it yesterday (on a pirated CD, which I do not regret at all) and found that its not the product, but the hype surrounding it, along with some (actually a lot!) stupid audience which makes these films work at the BO.
The movie defines OTT - Over The Top.

Disappointing from the word go, this movie tries to venture into all the possible areas - pop patriotism, pro-Pakistani quotes (well its samjhauta time baby), teeny boppers, college gags, love stories, maa beta - baap beta emotional stuff and surprise surprise, action with a Matrix hangover!!!

Farah khan, the director, makes a 'khichdi' which is so absurd that one cant identify what the movie is all about. Clearly the 'deshbhakti' element and army background is infused with the intention of cashing in on the latest peace process betwn the two countries. She definitely has paid rich tributes to golden era songs, Matrix, Karan Johar and co. In fact she still suffers from a creative cripple called 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai syndrome'. Comedy is so sour and OTT that u will fget laughing 4 a week!

The College setup makes u believe that u have done ur grads from Uganda. The hyper crowd, the usual nuts and stereotypes like a a complete bafoon, a bimbette, a tomboy whodresses up like Avril Lavigne (Amrita Rao), an irritating teacher (Bindu), a nutty professor ( Satish Shah), a forgetful "Mr Weatherbee" like pricipal (Boman Irani), a dude who is always angry, sexy teacher (Sush) and finally a #$%@*# who tries to act cool ( Zayed khan) . Is this college? cmon Farah, u better make things more believable. Or atleast get them out of the tried and tested and wasted formula. And why, why have u made this like a 70 s movie with the usual lost n found formula? Give us a break.

Nothing to be written abt the camera work, music or performances. Sharukh khan plays himself for the umpteenth time, no visible changes since DDLJ. Only this time he gets to do apna rajnikant style stunts which makes u yawn so much that ur jaw breaks.
Rest of the cast..... God save their careers. Much has been written at Zayed khan's performance, I think its a PR stunt. Go and get the basics right man!.

In short, a piece of advice to Farah; stick to what u are best at - choreography, this time u were plain lucky, nxt time hopefully these amateur audience will grow up and give a big thumbs down if u make stuff like this.
In a nutshell - Main hoon naa will be one of the most disappointing movies of this year, but it will still get a million nominations in the bloody"Film Fraud" awards because of the effective PR agents. AND YEAH, PIRACY RULES BABY!!!

-Arun "too frustrated to review this movie" Ganesh.

Munnabhai MBBS

2004-12-01T23:40:00.000-08:00

FILM: Munnabhai MBBS
Rating- ****

Well Sanjay Dutt has evolved as the perfect gangster (bhai) in numerous movies like Khalnayak, vaastav, Hathyar etc, but a gangster who tickes ur funny bone; well I doubt many have seen him in this avtaar.
Munnabhai starts off in he most wacky manner with a fake shootout scene after which the titles roll out. At this point of time u r convinced that u are going to watch a quality movie. As the proceedings go on and the film starts to grip u, u realize that THIS IS THE KIND OF MOVIE u've been desparately waiting for. Munnabhai succeeds where most of the so called comedy movies ( remember David Dhavan???) fail. A rip roaring comedy with its heart at the right place. Thought provoking at times, emotional and occationally taking pot shots at the medical fraternity, this film strikes the right cord between reality and entertainment, hardly going overboard.
Garnished with excellent performances, wacky and genuinely funny dialogues, a fast pace, great script and original story ( yes, the titles mention it as "Original Story by"), though u might feel tempted to associate some scenes with Baadshah ( the house getting converted to hospital), Patch Adams ( a doc who tries to make his patients laugh) this movie in one word ROCKS!!!

Abt the Performances: Sanjay Dutt is a pleasure to watch. After all these years of doing the same stuff and somewhat patchy performances in most of his previous films, this actor breathes life into a role which would not say was tailor made for him. ( the director's first choice was Shahrukh Khan, eeeeekssssssss!!!). Noteworthy are his drunken scenes with Arshad Warsi when he confesses that he wants to become a doctor, his confrontation with Boman Irani at the office and, well ALL OF THEM. He deserved every award for such a gem of a performance ( alas there was Hritik)
Arshad Warsi as the faithful sidekick is in one word AWESOME. His comic timing is arguably the best in bollywood. Be his knife flipping stunts, gangster lingo or just plain confused expressions, he is an absolute treat to watch. Noteable scenes are the one with the Chinese tourist and, aah fget it , everything. He too deserved all awards for supporting actor roles. ( I would rate him 1/2 points more than Saif as his was a more difficult role)
Boman Irani - I wonder why such a wonderful actor is not given the roles in which he can virtually overshadow everyone else in the movie. Maybe after MBBS he has become hot property. His act as the loony but at times menacing Dean of the college can be easily stated as the most stellar performances in Indian Cinema. Nobody, yes nobody could have done it better than him, whether his hilarious scene with Dutt at his house or his darker side at the hospital. He has an amazing personality.
Gracy Singh is Okay. The only negative point of this film could be her half baked romance with Munnabhai and eventually their Shaadi (eeks!!!, reminds me of Rangeela). Sunil Dutt is a pleasure to watch, so is Rohini hattangadi. Jimmy Shergill has a small role but he does full justice to the role of a dying cancer patient ( hey sharukh, u are not the only one). The guy as Dr Rustom is very good.

Anu malik has given the right kind of music for tis film, it may not be immortal but blends perfectly with the mood of the film. Background score is also good.
Finally direction is first rate. We wish to see such kind of movies often, dont we?? Padosan, chupke chupke, golmal, hera pheri and now Munnabhai MBBS. U come out of the theatre with full cinematic satisfaction and giggles. And u cant help but include the word "MAMU" in ur daily vocabulary, such is the infectious effect of this movie.

-Arun Ganesh

Hum Tum

2004-12-01T23:30:00.000-08:00

Me: Vakao!!Chalo , hum tum ke baare me baath karoonga
You : What ?!
Me : Chalo, hum tum milke humtum ke baare mein baath karenge .Vakao!!
You:
*********************************************************************************
Me(Now on wards Hum): First scene is in aerodrome.Vakao
You(Now on wards Tum):So?
Hum: Movie is from Yash Chopra , so you get to make world tou. After all he has been given award by Swiss govt for promoting Swiss tourism !!
Tum: So what all we can see?
Hum: Delhi, Mumbai, Paris, New York, Museum, Amstedam etc
Tum: How is India ?
Hum: Huh! What a question ! It is so beautiful , small kids do this that on the roads, wow! Vakao!
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Why the hell u r shouting Vakao?
Hum: When I saw Tom cruise hair style of Saif, I remembered tarzan and felt like shouting Vakao!
Tum: Y tarzan ?
Hum: Saif has the same body also Vakao
Tum : But this movie has Rani
Hum: Ok I will shout Fanta ...Fanta
Tum: Also Lays...lays ...
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Tell me the story
Hum: Have you seen DDLJ ?
Tum: Yes what in ddlj?
Hum: Train, bus, city sight seeing , love-hate , meeting again and again ...
Tum: So ?
Hum: Nothing yaar ... I am simply recalling
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Tum: Tell me the story
Hum: There r cartoons in the movie
Tum: What do you mean? Rani aur Saif kartoons hain ?
Hum: No I mean there are cartoons ...actual cartoons..animations
Tum: I dont believe you, What are their names ?
Hum: Hum Tum
Tum: Tera matlab , mein cartoon hoon ?!
Hum: Nahi yaar, why do you want to misunderstand me always?
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Tell me the story
Hum: You have seen the re union of Rishi Kapoor and Rati agnihotri in Kuch katti kuch meethi ?
Tum: yes so what ?
Hum:Nothing yaar ... I am simply recalling
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Tell me the story
Hum: Tune KKHH dekha hai?
Tum: What in that ?
Hum: wo small fighting, woh kajol's haircut, wo confusion between love-friendship
Tum: Yeah it was so very ...
Hum: so very ...so very....
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Tell me the story
Hum: Have you seen Kal ho na ho?
Tum: yes what in kal ho na ho?
Hum: Hero ka kudna machalna gaana nachna hasna hasana
Tum: Yes to impress heroine..or rather make heroine come out of boredom
Hum: And finally try to "fix" someone else to the heroine
Tum: yes...
Hum: Heroine ka dukaan chalana...hero ka madad karna....
Tum : so what ?
Hum : kuch nahi yaar , recalling ...
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Kahani batao please
Hum: Tune DTPH dekha hai ?
Tum: yeah
Hum: Woh confusion whether friends can be lovers or lovers can be friends
Tum: You are confused.. Friends can never be lovers but lovers can be friends
Hum: No
Tum: Yes
Hum: Ok forget it, do you remember that : daaru peene ki baad dil ki baath zuban pe aana
Tum: yeah it was in some other movie also .. but y r u telling all this
Hum : Because all those cowards (coward boys) should drink ...to ...tell ...the matters of heart
Tum: But what happened to u ? why are u speaking broken
Hum: Maine bhi kal daaru piya... kuch hua mere saath ...??
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Kuch undono ke pyar ke baare mein batao
Hum: Rani gets married ...event manager is influenced by monsoon wedding...
Tum: Gets married to whom?
Hum: AB
Tum: You are kidding....
Hum: Haan shayad ...mujhe har jagah AB hi dikhta hai aaj kal ...
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Which paper do you read?
Hum:I dont read Times of India
Tum: Why ?
Hum: Bcoz, kal mein Times of India nahi padtha tha , aaj bhi Times of India nahi padoonga , kal bhi Times of India nahi padoonga.
Tum: But why?
Hum: Mein sirf Times of India dektha hoon ;-)
*********************************************************************************
Tum: So what happens next
Hum: Hum keeps meeting her again and again
Tum: Kyon?
Hum:Zindagi bahut lambi hai
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Times of India mein tujhe kya pasand aata hai?
Hum: Dubyamaan or Kapoor ka HumTum
Tum: OR ?!
Hum: Dono bahut similar hai . Isliye confuse hota hoon konsa pasand karna chahiye.
*********************************************************************************
Hum: Zindagi bahut lambi hai
Tum: So?
Hum: Hum can write a book
Tum: Why ?
Hum: So that tum can read it and come back later ...
Tum: Why does he have so much belief?
Hum: His father also gets back his love after satra saal baad..Zindagi bahut lambi hai
Tum: He also wrote a book?
Hum: No yaar.. if you can use your speaking ability you need not write a book..
Tum: Then is hum dumb?
Hum: No yaar ... how do I make you understand ? Usse galati ho jati hai ...
Tum: Kya galti?
Hum: eeee..... ding dong ding dong
Tum: What...?! Akele se galti hoti hai ?
Hum: Oh get lost I cant tell you further ...
*********************************************************************************
Tum: Please tell story ...
Hum: No ya .. I have got to go....bye
Tum: Tu kaha chala ?
Hum: Kaam karne !
Tum: Magar zindagi bahut lambi hai
Hum; Zindagi lambi hai, movie bhi lambi hai. Aur mera bak bak bhi lambi hai. Magar kaam bahut hai, deadline kal hai, PM peeche khada hai!
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Some points
1) Catch Rani, who is looking better and better in each movie.
2) Catch Saif who continues his re-invented form from DCH, which he improved in Kal Ho Na Ho. His ability to portray different variety of emotions is commendable. And what else, his tom cruise look is so good !?!!??
3) Catch some timepass dialogues.

For all you those who thought Yuva was a little taxing on brains and it was too serious and it was non-realistic , catch this one with your sweetheart with a pack of popcorn.

-Ravikiran R

Khakhee

2004-12-01T22:30:00.000-08:00

One THUNDEROUS pat - that is what I would like to give Raj Kumar Santoshi if I meet him. But if the intensity is even 1/10th of his movie Khakee - he will not remain to give us such wonderful movie!
I think this will remain my most unbiased review for two reasons. First being completely ignorant about movie happenings now a days (except that my friend saw it and said it was nice...) , I did not even know the star cast of the movie let alone director , before going to the hall. In the hurry to buy tickets I just saw face of BigB and thought I might get my paisa's worth. But I also knew that just the presence of BigB will not make a major difference to the movie per se! Second due the disturbances of my mobile, I missed the title cards - so totally ignorant about the technical force behind the screens.
Coming to movie, it reminds of Satya ,Gupt for its unexpected twists and turns and also for its class. It also reminds of a English movie which revolves around the "battle of wits" of ex-policeman and policeman (i dont remember the name!). The plot is simple. A grp of policemen hunt to catch a terrorist who wants to kill the policemen. BigB is the boss of police and Devgan is the terrorist. How one plans-other diffuses will continue thro out the movie. BigB's troop consists of Akshay,Tushar in main roles.
The music is ok. (I came to know that hot song of Lara is in this film only after seeing it! ). The pictorisation is very impressive! The editing is very crisp. The dialogues are just perfect. The costumes -oh what do I say ? The chasing of AD in market also looks so colorful and cheerful ! (I do not know to which part of movie making this belongs).
If a chill runs down your spine when telephone rings or when somebody says "Good Evening" then, the credit goes to AD. Akshay so effortlessly fits the role that you feel you were him (atleast in first scene!). After seeing many serious faced AK in few movies , this shows his uninterrupted flow in comedy role. Tushar looks perfect for the character. Here is the brilliance of casting! And about BigB , I am too small to write anything about him. All I can say is I felt my heart paining when he enacts the pain after hearing AK on phone for the last time. Ash's overacting (overreacting) which is present in other movies has no place in this and she has done justice to the role.
And finally about Aishwarya. She looks amazing.
The movie would have had same weight even in the absense of miss worlds/item song/music ! Such is the strength of plot and core performers and obviously direction.
After you come out of the hall if you feel you had a superfast drive on a curvy and deadly roads of a racing track around the mountain or as if you had a joint wheel ride extending to the height of Eiffel tower (with the hearts firmly in hand) , then credit goes to RajKumar Santoshi!

Luckily I could atleast take RKSantoshi's name , thats bcoz, finally on screen it appears, leaving a lasting impression.

Ps: If the review lacks any punch blame it on my laziness to postpone its writing to nearly a month after seeing it!
Is the critic in me dead or am I seeing all good movies ?

-Ravikiran R

Kal ho na ho

2004-12-01T22:28:00.000-08:00

Knowing it is from Karan Johar's table and the cast, what all do you expect? Good acting from SRK? Funny -n- loveable acting from Saif? Good n cute looking Preity? Some emotional tear jerker scenes blent with some fun? Atleast some hummable tunes? Well, you get all! Thats Kal ho na ho for you.

There is tremendous influence of Karan Johar and many other movies on this one. There is laugh-a-minute-comedy aka DCH/Hungama (but not that consistent in the standards), there is repetation of Saif's DCH character including few scenes like hmm..hmm..hmm. There is desh mein nikala hoga chand 's story line of adopting husband's daughter. There is references to varios other movies(just like all other KJ movies) including a song reference to Lagaan which is good. There is foriegn crowd to impress foriegn movie crowd as well as patriotism to impress both Indians & NRI. Not to forget gujjus and punjabis.

Well among all this , there is also a script that is triangular love story with the added advantage of one angle dieing of cancer to make the lives of other two easier. (wow I could say the entire story in one line!!)
Few songs are hummable. Dialogues range from emotional to unnecessary. Fun/pun range unnotice-ably. There are lots of special and guest appearances like that of Sonali Bendre,Sanjay Kapoor,Rani(1sec), and Kajol(1 sec). Picturisation and editing are laudable. Choreography and Costumes are also likeable. Especially Preity looks very cute in few scenes. Srk's acting is one of the finest I have seen. Saif is as adorable. Preity's talent's glimpse is shown. She is capable of more complex characters. Jaya Bachhan proves she can act too not only Big B!
Finally worth watching few times!

-Ravikiran R

DCH

2004-12-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here is my views about DCH:Wow what a movie! This is the kind of movie I ever wanted to make! This is the kind of story I ever wanted to write.- about Me,Vin and Arun- so diverse yet so individual and interesting characters!

Everyone who has a HEART and SOUL will definitely identify oneself among one or more than one characters and events and ideas,views,dialogues. Thats what has made this film likeable. But what has made it hit might be that even if u dont have a heart and soul-u will still like it!

The narration, the flow, the intensity will just absorb you.Dialogues are just so easy and casual yet powerful. Farhan has let his personal instincts flow in the songs direction- where he has used special effects, unrealistic backgrounds,a take on 70s isthyle dance to showcase his observation. DCH title song picturisation , tanhai are treat to eyes.Jaane kyon reminds u of the similar song in Sarfarosh. Music is nice, background music score just fits there so effortlessly. My personal favorites are obviously DCH and Tanhai. But even though songs are different u will be reminded of Shanker's earlier Breathless (album). Thats what might not have made this trio a "hot" n selling combination.

Aamir's realization of love is so sudden and 'driven' that it didnt convince me. The scene in Opera seemed to drag a bit, but it was ok in the end. The scene of Aakash proposing heroine, his dialogues there, her guardians dialogue and her ex-would be's reaction thereafter is just so artificial,filmy and is totally unfit to be in such a seemingly realistic movie.Even Sameer's repeatedly falling in 'love' at the drop of the hat, and mature love of Sid might be very rare. But then thats nice and okay as it never comes in the way of the feel of the entire movie.

Acting wise well what I say! Everyone is extremely good, best in their own standards. Everyone might hail Aamir's but my personal favorite is Akshaye. No doubt that Aamir is extremely brilliant but I have these reasons: Akash's role was difficult to do, but comparatively easier than Sid's. And an actor of Aamir's calibre will definitely do justice and give 100%, but what surprises is Sid's held back,subdued,underplayed portrayal is from such an actor who is nowhere compared to Aamir. And not very recently have u seen such a role written and essayed so well. My memory goes back to Big B in Guddi and shades in many other films like Sholay,Anand.And Saif is born for such roles! Remember such a nice one in Hum saath saath ..Preity is as lovable as ever. Dimple is very effective. One thing is sure-- more than people , their EYES and FACIAL expressions make such an impact that I think this film wouldnt have been bad even if it was mute!

Lagaan's story was easier one to entertain, as good cricket has always entertained people, with some twists n turns ,comedy,patriotism it was very easy to hold the audience.This movie revolves around no fixed theme ,But think of showing people some 3 guys daily life and yet hold the audience!Last time I saw this was in Hyderabad Blues . Thats why you hate when the film is nearing an end. U feel whether it is necessary to end a film, can't the film and fun filled life go on ? Such is an involvement that I've not experienced it recently, I think not after Hindustani, and first half of DDLJ,HAHK.

My fav scenes include --the way they look at Saif in Goa( before coming back),Aamir's making face during Opera show, later he telling her that he saw Opera singer when he closed eyes,Akshaye's confession of love to Dimple,Dimple's outburst,Akshay calling Sid instead of Sameer,entire railway station scene--and NOT in that order.Life goes on!

By the way when are we going to Goa? or Sydney ?

-Ravikiran R

GRAFFITI CORNER

2004-12-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

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