Bollywood

Recent Movies Review

2007-05-03T04:08:00.000-07:00

PROVOKED MOVIE REVIEW

AGNISAKSHI - That's the movie one remembers when the gory saga of Naveen Andrews beating, harassing and abusing his all-silence-and-hardly-revolting wife Aishwarya Rai is on the screen. While in AGNISAKSHI, Manisha Koirala escapes from the clutches of Nana Patekar only to make a filmy encounter with him again, this time with angel Jackie Shroff in tow, none of this happens in PROVOKED.
Well, the character of Ash doesn't give rise to an opportunity like this. She sets her husband on fire only to find herself behind the bar and later being released with help of her sympathetic jail inmate [Miranda Richardson] and a social activist organization represented by Nandita Das.
Let's not talk too much about the storyline and the basic plot as film maker Jag Mundhra and his team of PR and media planners have made the world enough aware about what is in store in PROVOKED. Such an act works both in advantage and disadvantage of a film. Advantage, since the viewer is very much aware about the expectations from the film. Disadvantage, since due to a theme like this, not many are expected to be making a beeline in front of theaters.
After all more often than not, one looks for entertainment while watching a film. PROVOKED with its theme and especially the title doesn't quite promise that, with or without Aishwarya Rai looming large on the billboards. And this is where an entire promotional strategy makes such a difference to place the film in front of audience.
Though the film's subject is dark, it still has some gripping enough moments to keep you engrossed in the affair; especially the way numerous flashbacks are woven into the screenplay to create the much desired effect. In fact it is nothing short of being eerie whenever Ash takes you back in time while remembering/narrating her tale since every time Naveen Andrews appears on screen; you know that there would be torture galore on screen. You do cringe on your seat but thankfully the events are not prolonged hence saving you from much mental agony but nevertheless leaving behind a scar.
In a film that boasts of being a true story, there aren't any cinematic liberties that a film maker can take and this is why it is a welcome relief to see a film sans any unnecessary 'draamebaazi'. Be it her home or jail, the story sticks to the basics without going overboard. This is the reason why one doesn't quite see Ash turning a la Urmila Matondkar as in EK HASEENA THI. What she does do though is learn English, change her wardrobe and increasingly become confident about her self and about her rights.
Yes, Naveen is all black and he would be so whereas Ash is all white and even that would be so. You do suspect if there were some other shades to the characters too but then you do take it all on a face value. On the other hand supporting characters like the ones played by Miranda Richardson [very good] and Nandita Das [decent] are believable too.
For a film like this, it is of utmost importance for the background music and cinematography to be quite up to standards to create the desired impact. In that sense both A.R.Rahman and Madhu Ambat respectively deliver as per the requirement. Editing is one fine area for the film too since the story is narrated under 2 hours hence keeping the film in international format.
Aishwarya Rai gets to play a central character in a film after number of years and she doesn't disappoint at all. She shows that given an opportunity, she can shed her glam doll image and do something worthwhile in front of camera, something that she demonstrated in GURU early this year. Naveen Andrews has been consistently seen in Brit-India collaboration cinema and this is yet another instance of a good act on screen.
So what happens after one watches the film? Except for the sound of 'tsk tsk' in acknowledgment of Kiran Ahluwalia's plight, does it make you do anything else as a person? Not really and neither is it expected to. If you are a woman, you don't end up putting your husband in flames if he has been mistreating you. If you are a man, you very well know from deep inside that it is never a good idea to be abusing your life partner verbally and physically.
This is the reason why one shouldn't be expecting any message per se from PROVOKED. It is a film that tells a story, makes you sympathize with the real life character who had gone through the plight and then move on. That's about it!

2007-05-03T04:06:00.000-07:00

SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM. MOVIE REVIEW
"I know he is gifted. I know he is brilliant. I know he is better than me. And that's the reason why I cannot forgive him!"
How many times has one seen an honest confession like this being made? Especially when the person saying so is an antagonist! But in SLBB this happens. And that's the beauty of the script which makes it all so believable and true.
Welcome to the kind of cinema that doesn't get into a good v/s bad saga with everything white and black. Here the characters are true to what an average human being could be.
So Upen Patel, a wannabe star with the gift of 'saraswati' with him, isn't all 'seedha-saadha' and oh-so-humble even as he sees the world turn against him in his quest for name and fame. So much so that he even disrespects his very own father and 'guru' [Anupam Kher] in moments of frustration and overconfidence!
On the other hand there is Bobby Deol, who could justify his 'ahankaar' due to 5 superhit albums behind him, but deep inside down he pretty much realizes that he is nothing but mediocre. And this is where the insecurity creeps in and he goes an extra distance to ensure that a new kid on the block is destroyed even before he becomes a competitor.
Third character in the story which is forced to breach the line of gray and turn really nasty is that of Celina Jaitly, a PR person, who cannot bear the sight of her client [Upen]. Pulling down the very ladder that she had set for him, she cannot face rejection after she helped him meet the big daddies of the music industry.
"He used me", she cries and then allows Bobby to use her further in their common quest of bursting Upen's bubble. They go all out in sabotaging his upcoming career. They help him come up with his debut CD and then ensure that the album is 'killed' even before people get a chance to hear it.
Critic reviews are fixed, posters from the music stores disappear, Upen's name vanishes from Page 3 columns, music industry bigwigs are brainwashed and last but not the least an attempt is made to crush Upen's morale - all of this to make sure that a rising star never happened.
They make him so sick with all the drinks and late night parties that he is on the verge of self destruction. Naive, vulnerable and new to the going-ons of the music world, he believes in them as his friends, little knowing that he was being finished minute by minute.
Decisive phase of their lives comes when Bobby decides to use Upen's original tunes and bring them to the market on his own name. Unfamiliar to the tactics of his senior and made to believe that he was composing the album for himself, Upen falls into Bobby's trap. All this and more even when his much mature girlfriend [Kangana Ranaut], a rising stralet herself, warns him that the world isn't what it seemed.
What happens next?
Ignore historic references or inspiration from any Hollywood flick, the fact remains that SLBB does tackle a very fresh subject with extremely complex characterizations, especially that of Bobby Deol. He is gawky when it comes to comedy and light hearted scenes but gets on his own when it comes to displaying his anger, frustration and helplessness.
His monologues with his mentor [Govind Namdeo] have that vulnerability that make him look so real and his situation understandable. No, you may not sympathize with his actions but you certainly follow the way his character behaves. Handling a complex role with easy, he gets out the split personality part so very well that it sounds more humane than psychotic.
Upen Patel is truly a revelation. Once you watch the film, you would forget that he ever made an average debut with 36 CHINA TOWN. His looks, body language and mannerisms are just right for the overconfident yet talented bloke he is required to play. Yes, he does seem a little uncomfortable and conscious at places in the first half but in last 30-40 minutes; he matches Bobby step by step. Watch him destroy himself unknowingly in Bobby's hands and get killed in the 7 days of meeting composing deadlines!
Celina is there for 4-5 scenes and 2-3 songs but makes her presence justified for the duration she is there. Her appearance could be limited but she is an integral part of the script. She acts decent, especially when she sabotages Upen's career, and truly turns out to be quite an eye candy in Manish Malhotra's costumes.
Her co-actor Kangana has a much larger screen presence but somehow her oscillation from Bobby towards Upen is hard to digest. Getting to play a light part (in the first half of the film) after the heavy duty appearances in GANGSTER and WOH LAMHE, it is a welcome relief to see Kangana smiling. She does play her part with conviction though her character isn't allowed to do much once expectations of something better are set after a power packed intermission point.
Director Suneel Darshan gets into the underbelly of music industry and pretty much succeeds in telling 'what goes beneath'. Though in the first half of the film, his narration fluctuates for the first 30 minutes (love story built up is hardly entertaining while 'love pill' sequence isn't amusing), towards the interval the drama reaches an all time peak.
Typically second half of films are scary since there are always instances of impact being diluted and something similar happens in 15 minutes after the interval too. Though there is a good carry forward from the interval [Kangana is insulted by Bobby], soon 'Thaare Vaaste' comes and seems like a forced inclusion. Thankfully sabotage drama starts and from there on the film's graph only zooms up further. An all time high is reached during the 7 days composition sequence while the ending is just apt. The message is clear: "If you leave music in quest of money and power, music will leave you even if you have all the money and power"!
For a film based on music, it is a must requirement to have some entertaining tunes being played. Himesh Reshammiya doesn't disappoint here as he opens a new catalogue this time around. The highlight of the music is the five-set composition that arrives in the first half of the film when Upen gets into a show of supremacy over Bobby. Later 'Namumkin' is picturised well too while the title song in the end is entertaining is ever. Background score by Viju Shah is decent.
Dialogues by Anurag Kashyap are a mixed bag with the ones mouthed by Bobby being most impressive as he delivers them with conviction. Special effects in the film's climax could have been better laid out. Editor could have easily chopped off some romantic scenes featuring Kangana, Bobby and Upen.
He may have been most known for his socials and family dramas before SLBB but this time around film maker Suneel Darshan has taken a step to tell a new story with just the right does of entertainment in place. In the film, it is clearly shown how media, PR and competition can kill a good product even before it hits the market. One hopes the same doesn't happen to SHAKALAKA BOOM BOOM.

Recent Movies Review

2007-05-03T04:02:00.000-07:00

KYA LOVE STORY HAI MOVIE REVIEW

KYA LOVE STORY HAI easily qualifies as the shortest ever Bollywood flicks. After all it lasts just 6 minutes - a minute spent into the title roll immediately followed by Kareena's five minute appearance in 'It's Rocking'. Once the song gazes through and the opening shot of the actual film begins with two sex starved sidekicks romping on a bed and bath tub respectively with stuffed plastic dolls, you know that it is only going to be downhill from hereon.
So bad is debutant director Lovely Singh's effort that calling KLSH a cliché would be a cliché in itself! Even though the film is just 120 minutes with 30 minutes consumed by 6 songs and further 30 minutes dedicated to the sidekicks trying to make love to anyone and everyone who comes in their way, there is nothing at all to tell in remaining 60 minutes. Even a tele-serial may have fared better!
To add to the woes, Ayesha Takia has all the reasons to be sidelined! And no, it is not due to Kareena Kapoor being more prominent on billboards, posters and other publicity material but a certain South African blonde called Martha! Reason? As Ayesha's snooty to-be-husband’s [Karan Hukku] secretary, she makes it into the record books to be spending more time with her boss discussing business deals and contract sign-offs. Considering the man is touted to be one of the most successful entrepreneurs around, whatever happened to good old 'art of delegation'!
Well, talking of art, even our very own lead actor [Tusshar] boasts of prowess in one form of art - that of architecture. He can make out the wrong symmetry of a building in one look and even declare that what looks good from distance may not quite be the same when close. Alas, the entire audience (or whatever little number present in the auditorium) understood the reference but poor Ayesha doesn't quite till the film's end!
Ayesha's characterization itself is a paradox of sorts, as is the entire film in fact. On one hand she proclaims at the film's start itself that she is career oriented, wants to start early, grow early and be big, while on the other hand at an age of 20 she is willing to marry a 'perfectly-wrong-stranger'! In the times when even small town girls are willing to give themselves some time before taking a plunge into marital hood, it is comical to see her falling pray to her 'sapnon-ka-rajkumar' fantasies on the first given opportunity.
Now let's talk about 'sapnon-ka-rajkumar' who is perhaps modeled straight on the ever-so-snobbish-and-high-headed Prince of SHREK series. He is rude, he is angry, he has a constant frown on his face, he fires people because they spell him as whatever-Uberoi instead of whatever-Oberoi, he calls a girl who shows him a mirror as 'over smart' and he kicks and hurts Ayesha’s good-friend Tusshar in a beach rugby match! But guess what? The girl forgives and forgets (well almost)!
She says, "I am confused"! Girlie, what's there to be confused about? Just kick him aside and move on! What is anyways there at all in this model-trying-to-look-like-an-entrepreneur who doesn't come personally to pick his girl for his first date, asks his secretary to choose flowers for her and heck, even asks one of them to write a so-called personal note! And by the way, when he takes her out eventually, he is supposed to make an audience believe that he is having fun while dancing amidst tanks, soldiers, choppers and bikes, all in the middle of a city!
So what happens to the 'good-friend' eventually? Well, he gets a 'dhakka' of his life when his 'good friend' tells him that he needs to have an identity. So off he flies, gets an identity in around 15-20 days flat, wears a 'mehnat-ki-kmaai-se-earned' glares, walks out of an airport in slow motion and walks back to somewhere with a tear in his eye after realizing that his 'good-friend' is now engaged to someone. To add to his horror, the girl has even changed her hairstyle for the occasion by knotting her hair back!
He supports her decision, girl starts seeing her dreams shattering as she comes close to Mr. Model, Mr. Model refuses to grow up, eventually he realizes that two 'good friends' love each other, he sportingly backs out, 'good friends' say "I Love You' to each other, I clap and eventually the 22 odd people in the auditorium wake up and ask - "Picture is over, is it?"
I say 'Yes', they say 'Thank God' and we all leave! And no one is singing 'It's Rocking' en route to exit doors even though the song blazes on for the second time in two hours!

Recent Movies Review

2007-05-03T03:58:00.001-07:00

Bheja Fry Movie Review

HOME DELIVERY - that's the film one remembers mid-way through BHEJA FRY. The concept is basic - an idiot comes to the house of an overconfident/arrogant man whose idea is to demean the lesser mortals and think of your own as a cut above ordinary.
In HOME DELIVERY it was Viveik Oberoi as the overconfident dude, in BHEJA FRY it is Rajat Kapoor as a suave high-flying executive. In HOME DELIVERY it was Boman Irani who was an idiot messing up things every time he thought they were all right, in BHEJA FRY it is Vinay Pathak's character that follows the same route.
The difference then comes in the fact that while HOME DELIVERY tended to get emotional and sentimental with humor going kaput at regular intervals, in case of BHEJA FRY humor is the lifeline of the film and lives up to its whacky title. Result? A wholehearted entertaining fare.
Rajat Kapoor and his other richie-rich friends have a strange passion - to bring along an idiot on a Friday night and make them do things unintentionally that would enliven the party and relieve them from the stress of their hectic weekly schedules. One such night, it is Bharat Bhushan's [Vinay Pathak] misfortune to be a 'bakra' as Rajat decides to rope him in as his idiot partner.
Series of events make it imperative for Vinay to stay on at Rajat's house and what follows from thereon are activities happening over the course of a single night. After seeing his wife's [Sarika] walk-out, Rajat has more misfortune knocking his doors as his back gets hurt, his mistress [Bhairavi Goswami] turns up, Sarika's ex-boyfriend [Milind Soman] walks-in unexpectedly and last but not the least, Vinay's colleague [Ranvir Shorey] too joins the fun.
And all this while there is one man who stays on to be the center of attraction - Vinay Pathak.
A man who thinks highly of him as a singer, he is also passionate about wearing the 'babudom' all around him, whether it is his walk, mannerisms, body language, facial expressions, costume or his accessories. Especially funny is his possessiveness around his scrapbook that he loves to retain with him all the time.
The underlining theme of BHEJA FRY is to live up to its title and try to make the moments irritating but still funny. Such moments are ample in the film as Vinay Pathak plays his irritant character to perfection and never fails to bring a smile on in each of the frames that he appears. He is the pillar of the film and along with Rajat Kapoor; he builds an amazing camaraderie that was required for their love-hate on-screen relationship.
Since his DIL CHAHTA HAI and MONSOON WEDDING days till CORPORATE, Rajat Kapoor has built an image of a rich suave personality. He takes this forward in BHEJA FRY too while adding on his own sense of creating a comic atmosphere. On the other hand Ranvir Shorey, with whom Vinay has been a hit-jodi from the days of television, takes a relative backseat as he shows his quirky side in the select few scenes he appears.
Milind Soman has a likeable screen presence and he maintains that in BHEJA FRY too. The ladies are fine too, though not exceptional. It is a delight to see Sarika making regular appearances now while Bhairavi is decent. Tom Alter is as usual.
It is not an easy task for a subject like this to hold on viewer's attention throughout the narrative. To his credit, debutant director Sagar Bellary does well to infuse the film with such humor [some obvious, rest subtle] and makes sure that the film's comic graph doesn't dip down at all.
Production values of the film are low as evident from the setting and cinematography, which makes it more fit for a DVD watch. But still, if you have been looking for a small film watch before biggies start arriving one after another from TA RA RUM PUM onwards, give BHEJA FRY a dekko. You won't be disappointed

Recent Movies Review

2007-05-03T03:58:00.000-07:00

Bheja Fry Movie Review

Recent Movies Review

2007-05-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

Tara Rum Pum Movie Review

Banks and credit card companies may not be too happy with writer-director Siddharth Anand, Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee. Together they propagate the trend of 'buy-not-pay-later' as bad. Installments are bad, going down heavy on credit cards is bad, saving is cool, spending lavishly is not so cool!
So much is Rani Mukherjee a.k.a. Shona conscious about money in spite of being daughter of owner of 'Fourth largest Database whatever' [or is it third largest?] that she buys the cheapest possible wine and cheapest possible iPod but finds an 'asli heera' in the form of low-intellect-high-values pit worker turned country's numero uno car racer RV [Saif Ali Khan].
He is the kind who loves to spend his first ever big time earning of $ 5000 by throwing a party to 200-250 odd friends and is constantly broke. But then as all goody-goody heroes are, he loves to keep smiling....and spending. Everything for making a wonderful today.
"But the man never thinks about his future", says Shona's dad, Victor Bannerjee, who doesn't let the stereotypical dad from the era of 60s die. Probably the writer himself felt guilty of bringing on such a character on screen and this is why he gives him some flexibility by making him utter some unbelievable lines - "Go, have an affair, have a fling (sunne mein to cheap lagta hai!), and then forget all about him!"
The girl forgets her dad instead and walks down the altar, oops no, drives down the car, and marries RV on a fast track. Pronto they have two designer kids and it's time to sing along 'Ta Ra Rum Pum'. So far, so good...actually feel-good!
Interspersed amongst all this fun is some real engaging action on the fast tracks. Details about how changing a tire after a few laps is important, filling in a particular brand of lubricant is a real necessity and placement of the sponsors' hoardings at all the strategic spots where Siddharth Anand places his camera is of vital importance, are explained to the audience in some subtle and not-so-subtle manner.
No one seems to mind all this, you know, because the action is pulsating, crashes make you gasp and editing is slick. In short, the kind that would make you hold on to your popcorn for some more seconds before you can heave a sigh of relief.
Well, that's not to be the case for long as after some romance, action and comedy [yes, Jaaved Jaafri is superb here as a migrant Gujjubhai who launches Saif on the racing circuit], there is some drama and tear-drop emotion required too. RV is injured on tracks, he recuperates, tries his luck again, is constantly reminded of his crashes, looses 10 races in a row and is soon thrown out (logical, very logical) by the Team Lead Billy [Bharat Dhabolkar] who loves to be called Mr. Bhatia with respect.
RV fails to find a new team, his credit cards and loan companies take away all his assets [this is why buying things on credit is bad, you know!] and he finds himself from Manhattan to a kind of 'machchi-bazaar' found on the backyards of New York. Placed in a one room downtrodden apartment, he, his Shona and his children try everything to call it loud - Life Is Beautiful!
And guess what, in case you wouldn't have done it so far, RV is back o his winning ways. But not before he has been through some annoying neighbors, petty jobs like being a pit worker again, taking care of trolleys in super-stores, failed attempts at being a car salesman and finally being a cabbie on the road. "Wo aisa hai naa, US mein jab kisi ka sapna toot-ta hai, to woh cabbie banta hai" - as said by Gujjubhai at the very beginning of the film!
While first half is quite breezy, thanks again to Jaffri bhai [dialogues like - 'I Love You Brother, son of a different mother' - do keep you in splits], the second half begins on a highly predictable note. The sufferings, the pain, smile on your lips and tears in your eyes kinda emotions, one family-happy family-we are together factors can be seen coming but still credit to the director that he doesn't let them drag beyond a point. He also does well in bringing a different side of New York in this half.
It's after the hospitalization of RV's son that proceedings pick up in a big way. The confrontation scene between RV and Billy is the pick of the lot where Saif is outstanding while the race sequence that follows in climax is terrific. Also, during the pre-climax the track 'Saiyaan' which runs in the background turns out to be best of the lot even though other songs do well as good eye candy.
Especially watch out for opening track 'Ab To Forever' where Rani looks seriously chic in her bronze look, short skirts, shorter tops and some real 'jhatka' moves that she has never done before in her decade long career.
Ok, so there are cliches galore like RV fighting it out on a track because he need money for his kid's operation [oh gawd!], parents skipping their dinner so that children and an accompanying dog could have theirs, lack of degrees resulting in no jobs, rich father against poor match for his daughter and so on and so forth.
But guess what, none of that actually looks bad at all. Placed well in the film, they still make you look forward to the story that unfolds. Add to it some real masala ingredients of high adrenaline races and a funky background score [Salim-Suleiman delivering well, yet again] and TRRP ensures that you get back your movie tickets, popcorn/cola and parking ticket worth. .