3 Idiots - Review

It's Christmas time again which means only one thing.....an Aamir Khan release. This time he joins hands with Raju Hirani of Munnabhai fame who attempts to showcase the lives of 3 engineering students. Is it Santa or is it the Grinch??
3 Idiots & Aamir Khan = Sheer Brilliance

The movie begins with two friends Farhan Qureshi (Madhavan) & Raju Rastogi (Sharman Joshi) setting out to find their friend Rancho (Aamir Khan). Through this adventure we delve into their past, where these 3 students were roommates at a prestigious engineering college. Rancho was different from the rest; he wanted to learn & didn't fancy the existing education system. The dean (Boman Irani) hated his guts & disliked the 3 idiots. As the story unravels, it deals with the pressure students face as well as parental force on rubbishing their child's dreams.
Post their graduation, Rancho disappears & the movie moves into the future, with his friends looking for him. There is also an alternate love angle between Pia (Kareena Kapoor), the deans daughter & Rancho.

The first half of the film is absolutely marvelous. It has you in splits, especially the scene with Raju's poor parents & Omi's s (classmate) function speech.
The second half has a lot more emotional play as well as a very filmi touch to it.

Although the story of the film is not the best, it is the execution by Hirani that takes the cake. He crafts each scene beautifully & is backed by great performances by all the actors. This is definitely his best work so far, surpassing the Munnabhai series.
The music of the film is strictly ok but the songs are woven seamlessly into the film, making it work.

But when we talk about 3 idiots, one man shines, Aamir Khan. He makes you believe he that he is the 22 year old quirky, yet lovable Rancho. Every frame he is a part of shows the sheer talent & versatility of this actor. He is undoubtedly the best actor of his generation.
He is supported by spirited performances from Sharman Joshi & Madhavan as well as a great job by half-foreign student Omi. Kareena Kapoor plays her part well. Boman Irani too shines in his role as the grumpy dean.

All in all, 3 Idiots is the perfect Christmas release. It is a complete entertainer & definitely one of the best films of the year. With the hype & holiday weekend, this film will surely set the box office blazing.
Aamir Khan, take a bow, for you have done it again. Outstanding.
Do yourself a favour & book your tickets now.

Critical: 4/5
Commercial: 4.5/5

Rocket Singh Salesman of the Year - Review

With hardly any promotion or marketing efforts, what would get people to Pocket this Rocket?
1. Yashraj (almost lost credibility now)
2. Flavour of the season Ranbir Kapoor &
3. Director Shimit Amin (100% track record)
So is this combo deal worth your while?
It is....

From the first frame, RSSOTY has a very simple believable feel; far away from the glossy fields & snowy caps Yashraj is famous for.

It is the story of Harpreet Singh Bedi (Ranbir Kapoor). Just about scraping through his graduation, he decides to take up the job of a salesman at a company selling computers. He finds it hard to get his bearings in the company because he refuses to bend the rules & play the game. Being noble & honest, Harpreet realises that his idealogies are not followed by others hence he decides to start his own company. He tags along with himself other colleagues from the office & embarks on a journey to reach to the top. Along the way, he stumbles, rises & eventually is met with an interesting end.

Rocket Singh does have many script flaws. How does one run a company while working at another? How does one manage to get orders without an office address?
Regardless of all this & more, the beauty of the film lies in it's simplicity & of course, its performances.

Ranbir Kapoor is no more the next big thing....he has arrived. He delivers a stupendous performance, his best to date & can be compared to the big names in the business today. He carries this film single-handedly & deserves the tag superstar.
Along with him his boss Puri pitches in a memorable performance & is supported by porn crazed maintenance guy D.Santosh, sideburned team lead Naveen Kaushik as well as loud & brash receptionist Gauhar Khan. Cute newcomer Shahzahn Padamsee is non-existent.

Director Shimit Amin works & falters both. While the film is well made & has a great feel, it could definitely be trimmed a bit. While the screenplay/dialogues by Jaideep Sahani are well written, the duo don't quite create the magic of Chak De. The humour in the film is dry but it brings a smile to your face. The climax is a tad bit filmy & should have been better written.

At the end of it, Rocket Singh is a film with soul. It does tend to preach a bit but still works for most of it. It makes you like Harpreet Singh & see the life of a salesman.
As the review is a bit late, the box office results are already out....sadly, the rocket didn't launch.
I still recommend you to catch Rocket Singh, a one time watch for sure.

Critical: 3.5/5
Commercial: 2/5

Paa - Review

No, this is not Benjamin Button.
Paa is about Progeria, about relations, about awareness & above all, about Auro. Does it manage to impress?
While the movie might be just above average, its a dazzling performance by Auro that shall be remembered for times to come.

The story involves 12 year old Auro (Amitabh Bachchan) who has progeria, a rare condition that causes accelerated physical growth, hence making a mentally 12 year old child look like he's 70. His life revolves around his doctor mother Vidya (Vidya Balan) & his school friends. Visionary MP Amol Arte (Abhishek Bachchan) is his father, but neither know the relation, as Amol had parted ways with Vidya years ago.
The film delves with Auro's everyday life on one side & Amole's political ideologies & want to make a difference on the other. An incident makes them cross paths & Paa is about how they change each others lives.

First & foremost, the narrative of the film is extremely weak. It is poorly scripted & the political angle is blown out of proportion. The film tends to drag & gets preachy very often.
Secondly, the editing of the film disappoints & the camera work too, leaves a lot to be desired.
Director R.Balki, who impressed with Cheeni Kum falters. The movie impacts not because of him, but because of the actors.
Of the songs, maestro Illayaraja takes 1 song & spins multiple versions of the same.

But Paa is only about one man Amitabh Bachchan. AB delivers a stupendous performance, making him the heart of this film He makes you forget that it is him & creates a different world around Auro. After 40 years, this is a first for him, surely a feather in his cap. Take a bow Big.B.
Of the othersAbhishek Bachchan gives a very good performance. Vidya Balan looks beautiful & this movie can be considered as her best work yet. Paresh Rawal in his short role is fantastic & child actor Pratik is brilliant.

The length of this film is a tad bit long & the film does tend to drift at times, moving into morality & unnecessary sermons. While it is not a tear-jerker, it has its emotional moments.

All in all, Paa is a film that rides on its performances. Take away Amitabh Bachchan & Paa would fall flat, face first. At the box office, the film doesn't look too promising, but the low budget would greatly help its cause.
If you want to watch a never-before-seen AB, do go for Paa.....but if you don't fancy him much, you can give Paa a miss.

Critical: 2.5/5
Commercial: 3/5