Ishqiya - Review

Fantastic promos, great music, all the hype a film would want. From the stables of Vishal Bhardwaj, the much awaited Ishqiya finally hits the screens today......does it live up to the expectations?
Absolutely, this one's a winner !!

Set in the rustic interiors of India, the film deals with two thieves, Khalujaan(Nasserudin Shah) and Babban(Arshad Warsi) who are on the run after stealing money from their boss. They take refuge at the house of widowed Krishna(Vidya Balan), whose husband died under mysterious circumstances.
As their boss traces them down, the money disappears and they are given a few days to return the loot or go six feet under. The 3 then devise a plan to extort good money and get rid of their woes once and for all.
Although this is the plot of the film, the real joy is in the journey, dialogues, little jokes and the overall experience that has been crafted. Each character has their distinct flavour which add greatly to the tale.

The first half of the film goes past with the blink of an eye, while the second half is a bit more meaty. While the story has nothing special or new, it is the treatment that is noteworthy.
Full marks to Vishal Bhardwaj for firstly, some brilliant dialogues, secondly for a well written screenplay & lastly, for the beautiful music, which adds great value to the film. The picturisation of "Dil to Baccha Hai" is particularly splendid.

First time director Abhishek Chaubey gets two thumbs up. He has arrived with a bang and deserves full credit for this effort. Whether the love triangle or the madness between the two thieves, he showcases it with a unique zest. One shall wait for his next film.

The performances too, leave no room for errors. Veteran actor Naseerudin Shah does a stellar job as the old romantic. He speaks through expressions and shows why he is considered one of the best.
Arshad Warsi too does a great job as the quirky thief. Post Munnabhai, this is his best effort to date. Vidya Balan springs another surprise post Paa. She looks ravishing and teases with her eyes. The chemistry between her and the other two actors is superb.
A mention also for the child actor who interacts with Arshad Warsi. The unmissable boy is fabulous.

At the box office, one sees word-of-mouth strongly helping the film. For all of you reading this, watch this film today.
Take a bow Abhishek Chaubey, this ones a home-run.

Critical: 4/5
Commercial: 3.5/5

Rann - Review

Ram Gopal Verma is back, this time with a hard-hitting exposé on the news channel wars. With a huge ensemble cast and a serious issue at hand, does he create celluloid magic?
One can safely say, this ones no candyfloss entertainer, its gritty with some great content & soul.

Vijay Harshwardhan Malik(Amitabh B) is an experienced player in the industry. He refuses to play the game and is one to abide by ethics and morality owing to which his channel has gone down. His son Jai(Sudeep) wishes to bring about change but his plans are foiled as a competitor channel owned by ex-employee Amrish Kakkar(Monish Behl) steals their ideas.
Irked by this move, Sudip takes the help of his businessman bro-in-law Navin(Rajat Kapoor) and corrupt politician Mohan Pandey(Paresh Rawal) to win the TRP battle. The story deals with how news is created and fed to the public to make money.

Along the way, the film has many characters such as Vijay's loyal fan turned employee Purab(Riteish D), over-the-top news anchor Anand Prakash(Rajpal Yadav)and sweet yet bitchy Chief Nalini(Suchitra Krishnamoorti).

The story of this film by Rohit.B is crisp with a taut narrative. The film doesn't tend to drag and remains to the point.
A special mention has to be made for the cinematography which is brilliant. Amit Roy gives the film a fresh, new feel with some innovative shots.
A big disappointment is the music score, with has a host of composers. Though in the background, few tracks spoil your viewing experience.

RGV generally casts his motley crew, but this time he goes a different way.
Amitabh simply towers above all in his intense & honest portrayal of the channel head. His monologue in the end is definitely the highlight of the film. Sadly, one does feel that he should have had meatier role.
Paresh Rawal too, delivers an ace performance and makes you love his evil persona.
South import Sudip does a dismal job. Being given the plum role of the film, he does no justice to it, bringing down the overall quality of the film. Monish Behl puts on a fine act and returns to the silver screen in great fashion.
Riteish D does his best job to date and Rajpal Yadav is entertaining in every frame.
Of the others, Rajat Kapoor does another Corporate, Suchitra K is top notch, Gul Panag-sweet and Neetu Chandra downright hilarious(she's not supposed to be).

Cult-filmmaker RGV's treatment of the film works. He provides a well finished product which is different from the rest. Not his best, yet great.

All in all, Rann not your average-Joe Friday flick. This movie doesn't only entertain, it wants you to think. Don't go in expecting Madhur Bhandarkar style glamorized truth. It is grim, it is powerful and it is definitely worth a watch.

Critcal: 3.5/5
Commercial: 3/5

Veer - Review

Warrior Salman is back as part of the Pindari clan, in an eagerly awaited, heavily budgeted film Veer. The epic war tale also marks his debut as a writer & serves as the launchpad for FATrina Kaif, oops Zarine Khan. Does it deliver?
Not quite....

Set in the late 1800's, the film deals with the warrior tribe, The Pindaris who are back-stabbed by the King of Madavgarh (Jackie Shroff) who forms an allegiance to the British. Their leader Prithvi Singh (Mithun Charaborthy) vows to avenge their loss & raises his son Veer (Salman Khan) to become an ace fighter.
The story then suddenly shifts to Britain where Veer & his brother Punya (Sohail Khan) go to learn the ways of their enemies. Here Veer falls in love with princess Yashodhara (Zarine), as you might have guessed, the daughter of Jackie Shroff. Then on, the film deals with Veer being torn between his love & his people.

One thing is certain, this movie is outright filmy making it funny at times. Whether it is random Matrix style jumps, songs out of nowhere, unreal heroism or just plain disregard for any form of logic, it has it all. There's even a song with Bharat Dabolkar coming out of a drum of water & Neena Gupta gyrating with Mithun.
The film starts of well, but slows down once the story shifts to Britain. The story by Salman just doesn't have enough meat. The film salvages some pride in the final action sequences with Veer going all-out.

The music of the film by Sajid-Wajid is a complete letdown & the songs irritate. They come way to often & do nothing for the narrative.

If there is one thing that works for this film, it is Salman Khan. Star power, scren presence, call it what you may, it works. Another knockout performance by him ensures you are still there. His histrionics are a joy to watch & its less style, more acting for a change. Mithun too is good in a meaty role. Jackie Shroff is fine.
Newcomer Zarine Khan is strictly OK. One wishes she & Salman had shared the gym equipment.
Sohail Khan is annoying. Aryan Vaid in a mute role is stone-faced.

Director Anil Sharma fails. He shows absolute disregard for continuity (long hair, short hair, long hair, Salman does as he pleases). Though makes a brave attempt, he doesn't repeat a Gadar.

At the box office, single-screens should do well, but owing to the budget, one doesn't see a hit on our hands.
I suggest all Salman fans to watch this film. Only for HIM, not the cinematic debacle. For all the others, skip it, wait for Rann, this one's no classic.

Zombieland - Review

This week, we bring you the rare concoction of humour & blood-thirsty zombies, as they come together in Ruben Fleischer's Zombieland.
While the movie hasn't created any marketing buzz, this ones definitely a surprise package. While it does not scare, it does Entertain.

Narrated by Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Zombieland is the story of how a virus outbreak leads to the USA being attacked & taken over by flesh-eating zombies. He is trying to make his way to Ohio, to see if his parents are safe.
Only a handful of humans remain, including a redneck Z-killer Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) who is trying to get to Florida and kill as many zombies as he can on the way. He agrees to give Columbus a ride & the two form an alliance. Along the way, they meet two girls, Wichita (Emma Stone) and her younger sister, Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), both of whom have trust issues.
As they progress, they encounter situations & circumstances that are filled with comical elements interspersed with fun action sequences.
The story deals with how these 4 people trust each other, double cross each other & eventually kick some zombie derriere.
The climax is good & the action sequence in the end is fun to watch.

The film begins so repugnantly, that one feels queasy in the stomach, but 5 minutes into the journey & it becomes funnier rather than gruesome.
The product is also extremely slick, stylish & has great humorous undertones; especially a set of rules which Columbus has devised to stay safe, such as:
Do Cardio or Fasten your seatbelt. They are well woven into the film & shown in an interesting manner.
Another great aspect is the films runtime. At just under 90 min, this film manages to entertain you & at the same time, not stretch.

The performances are great, especially Woody Harrelson, who is in top form. He is quirky, crazy & even has a soft side to his character. Emma Stone too, mixes sexy & bitchy to give a memorable performance.

Director Ruben Fleischer is definitely one to watch out for, as he carves a good product from a mediocre script. His story-telling fashion is unique & enjoyable.

In a nutshell, Zombieland is a fun adventure which one should catch. While its not your run-of-the-mill comedy, laud it for it's novelty value & dose of entertainment.

Rating: 3/5

Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Hugh Grant returns after a two year hiatus coupled with Sex & the City star Sarah Jessica Parker to bring to us a light-hearted romantic comedy. Is it enticing enough to run to the cinema halls this weekend?
Sadly, not so.

The film delves into the lives of successful New York Realtor Meryl(Sarah Jessica Parker) & her equally flourishing lawyer husband Paul(Hugh Grant). Though the Morgan's are now separated, Paul is desperately trying to salvage the marriage after he erred by having an affair.
The two meet for a meal & accidentally witness a cold-blooded murder in the process. For their safety, they are whisked away to Ray Wyoming, under the witness protection program. The story takes us through their journey in a small town, away from work,phones & Internet and how they find love in each other again.

The story of the film is extremely predictable & one would have to be a non-movie watcher to be surprised by the amateurish screenplay. It is a formula film with doses of humour, romance, good wins over evil & big town girl in small city. But alas, it doesn't work.
One doesn't feel the romance at all but the movie does give you the luxury of the odd smile here & there. While the first half starts well, the movie slows down as it moves on & crawls to a finish.
The editing of the film is very patchy with abrupt cuts between few shots.
Director Marke Lawrence has done better work in his previous two films & this is a very mediocre product at best. If one sees the trailer, they can more or less cover the best moments of the film.

Of the performances, Hugh Grant fails to impress & his chemistry with Sarah J Parker just doesn't work. Sarah on the other hand gives a good performance, but not one that would take the film to a higher level.
The supporting cast are excellent, with Elisabeth Moss delivering a brilliant performance as Sarah's quirky assistant. Sam Elliot too, beautifully underplays his role as the calm protector of the Morgans.

At the end of it, one knows what is going to happen & it is not worth the effort. For a weekend which has many other releases to sample, one need not venture into this territory.
You Need not hear about the Morgans.....for your good.

Rating: 2/5

Paranormal Activity - Review

After creating a stir worldwide, 15000$ creation Paranormal Activity finally hits the Indian screens. After grossing 100 million plus worldwide, does this film live up to the hype?
NO

Following the footsteps of The Blair witch project, PA is a film shot completely on the handycam. It deals with the life of a young couple, Micah & Katie and the mysterious happenings faced by them. They believe there is a ghost in the house & the story takes us through three horrific weeks of their lives.
The film is completely shot in the house itself & almost no background sound.

Let's get one fact straight. The movie does not Thrill or spook. There are exactly 5 minutes of scenes that classify as unnerving. 75% of the film is extremely boring & nothing really happens till the last 15 minutes.

Of the actors Katie Featherson is great in her role as the freaked out girlfriend. Micah Sloat as the boyfriend is strictly ok & the psychiatrist is just comical, especially in the the scene where the he goes away because he is scared of angering the "ghost".

The director Oren Peli attempts something interesting but fails miserably. There are parts of the film that build up the anxiety but just fall flat at the end of it. The screenplay is weak & parts of the first half are redundant.
The question is as to how this film has generated such revenues. Marketing pundits are calling it the most profitable film ever made....I call it marketing genius.

I would request you not to watch this mockery of a film. I went to the theater with the intention to get petrified, but came out making elaborate plans to shoot the makers. If films like The Exorcist, The Ring or even RGV's Bhoot worked for you, this won't.
Though, you will be truly horrified when you realize that your hard earned money has vanished, never to return again.

Note: This film has 3 different versions, but the one playing in cinemas across India is worthy of the review above.

Rating: 1/5

Sherlock Holmes - Review

Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective is back, in a revamped new avatar, courtesy Guy Ritchie. Known for his slick movie-making efforts, does this film create the magic of Snatch & Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?

Let’s say Ritchie delivers a decorously interesting fare to savour.

Set in the late 1800’s, Ace detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) & his partner Dr.Watson (Jude Law) have just solved a case involving black magic practitioner Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong). After sentencing him to his grave, they are taken by surprise when he comes back, with sinister plans of ruling the world. A series of deaths follow & the detective duo end up unravelling this mystery with the help of Sherlock’s old muse, Irene Adler (Rachel Adams).

One thing is certain, Guy Ritchie has definitely changed ones perception of Sherlock Holmes. He has taken the classic hat wearing, pipe smoking detective & turned him into a goofy, alcohol drinking, bare-knuckle brawler.

The first half of the film is interesting, especially two action sequences, right out of the directors unique action style. Towards the second half, the movie gets a tad bit boring, but picks up pace towards the end, closing the loose ends.

Of the performances, Robert Downey Jr is fantastic. The movie is all about him & he pulls of this brawny Sherlock with panache. He is well supported by an underplayed Jude Law & sexy yet mysterious Rachel Adams. The repartee between Robert & Jude is brilliant & fun to watch. Mark Strong has a small yet impactful role.

All in all, even though it’s not the best film out there, it’s definitely worth a watch. If you like Robert Downey Jr or Guy Ritchie cinema, this one’s a good watch. Don’t expect too much & be entertained by this comical action film.



P.S - The film looks all set for a sequel with its open ended finish.

Rating: 3/5