Jhoom Barabar Jhoom

Director: Shaad Ali
Producer: Aditya Chopra
Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Bobby Deol, Lara Dutta, Amitabh Bachchan
Music Dir: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonca

Blunder! High-profile promotion, glossy promos, bankable star cast, hip-shaking thunderous music, exotic foreign locations and loads of expectations! This is what 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' is all about. What you get is huge disappointment in the end? How can a director of 'Saathiya' and 'Bunty Aur Babli' falter so miserably as a storyteller? Why do skilled actors like Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Lara Dutta, and Bobby Deol fall for such a messy script? Can high production values save a film from disaster? Why Big B was wasted as cameo in the film? Finally, why the film was titled 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom'? These questions may be haunting every viewer after witnessing the waterloo of disasters packed in a misadventure called 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' by Yashraj Films.
To summarize what 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' has to deliver from its leading stars - Abhishek's ham, Preity's drools, Lara's screams and Bobby's grimaces in its two and a half hour run. The film comes as a chaotic musical saga with slapdash screenplay, average performances, insipid scripting but melodious music (the only surprise!).
Shaad Ali Saagal showed his nerves while carrying the bandwagon of a big star cast as the film loses its focus on the characters in almost every frame. It fails to form the desired concoction between the characters and the screenplay and therefore proves to be the biggest villain for the film. 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' is reduced to a cluttered musical show with silly acts where every song shows its flashy edges in a fixed interval of 15-20 minutes. The esteemed filmmakers took audiences for granted by imposing poorly hatched plots with eye candy starlets flashing their costumes and their physical charm in big budgeted soundtracks.
'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' has its merits but they haven't materialized to perfection to garner desired box office results. The film holds flashy surprises in trendy costumes (Akki Narula), synchronized choreography (Vaibhavi Merchant), and stylized cinematography (Ayanka Bose) with supreme production values (Yashraj Films). The film disappoints primarily in the screenplay (Habib Faisal) and scripting (Shaad Ali) departments. It seems the failure is plaguing the esteemed banner, hi-profile stars and competent directors in filmdom as 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' disappoints to the hilt. Yashraj's highly glamorized entertainer lays stress on the unexplored, unexplained and untamed Brit cities where middle class and underprivileged Asians reside. It's all about the street smart Southall guys and gals who dream of living a "rags to riches" life.
'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' picks up in a busy London railway station where the passengers have to wait for long for a delayed train from Birmingham. Two strangers are waiting for their better halves to arrive by this train, and the destiny brings them together. Rikki Thukral (Abhishek Bachchan), stubble looking Punjabi boy and upbeat Pakistani Brit girl Alvira Khan (Preity Zinta) are the two perfect strangers. Rikki is a street smart Bhatinda guy who sells pirated Bollywood DVD's, illegal antiques and World Cup cricket tickets to make easy money. On the contrary, Alvira is a suave socialite who enjoys every luxury at her doorstep in posh London city.

Crowded café and one table to share! The two hours of delay prove boring and both start sharing their love stories. Rikki's love story flashbacks to his silly criminal act in a posh Hotel Ritz where he meets gorgeous Anaida (Lara Dutta) during the final departure of Lady Diana and Dodi before their death. Anaida, a ravishing hotel manager, rescues Rikki after he is abandoned by his business partner, Hafiz Bhai, in an illegal antique transaction. The relationship culminates into love and finally Rikki reaches London to pursue his business. While returning to Anaida, Rikki pays back hotel dues and asks for a ticket to Hollywood trapped in his belongings. (Sounds Silly!)
Alvira's love story works like a monologue as Shaad Ali prefers Shirish Kunder's style of storytelling displayed impressively in 'Jaaneman'. Even he follows Kunder's style of telescope viewing from neighbor's window in the climax in an awkward manner. Alvira's story sounds more senseless and prankish as it flashbacks to Tussaud's wax museum where she is rescued by rich advocate - Steve Singh (Bobby Deol). Firstly, Madame Tussaud's wax museum doesn't have wax models of superheroes as this is filled with great living and dead personalities. Secondly, no wax model is planted on the ceiling so there is no way that a Superman's caricature will fall. Finally, Alvira is rescued and pretends to suffer pain to create compassion in the heart of Steve. Alvira is smitten by Steve's colossal wealth and status. Steve's criminal mind proposes to sue the illustrious Madame Tussaud's museum and seeks damages. Alvira and Steve win the case and their friendship germinates into love relationship. (Sounds sillier than the first story!)
The wait for the train gets longer for Alvira and Rikki but they get separated at the station. Love sparks between them and they find excuses to meet each other. Rikki plans to seek help from roadside prostitute Laila (Lara Dutta in double role) to win Alvira back from Steve. On the other hand, Alvira finds soul mate in geek looking Satwinder (Bobby Deol in double role) to win back Rikki from Anaida. The heat turns up in musical show "Jharokha" where the couples confront each other in a musical show. Alvira and Rikki find true love between them while Laila and Satwinder fall for each other's charm. Then, Amitabh Bachchan spills the beans about the reality of the two hatched stories but the viewers are too exhausted with the boredom.
Shaad Ali Saagal loses control on execution, treatment and narration. This is the weakest offering from him after two grand successes. In hot pursuit to evoke laughter from viewers, the director stoops low as the leading ladies foul their mouths against each other. After 'Neal n Nikki', the film inexpertly talks about pre-martial sex in the most disgusting way. Abhishek delivers one of his worst and reckless performances as he is lauded with amateurish script and character. There are hardly many scenes where he is able to tickle funny bone. Neither Abhishek nor Bobby has ever held any distinction in displaying comical talents in the past. Then, why have they been made protagonists in a hilarious romantic saga? Abhishek hams to the hilt in hilarious scenes with childish expressions. Habib Faisal's dialogues are neither witty nor chirpy to offer anything promising for any actor. The actor's prowess has been decimated to the lowest as the film will prove to be a big nightmare for him in the future. Preity Zinta's fading charm shows her aging face but still she manages to deliver bubbly and vivacious performance. Sadly, she is burdened with dim-witted script and character that fail to justify her comical timing. Preity's drools and Lara's screams fail to evoke sympathy of the viewers. This hardly creates any stir in the film. Both Preity and Abhishek show their sharp edges in the dance sequences but they are too meek to justify their gargantuan star status.
Lara Dutta turns bold and brazen with 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' as she kisses, exposes and foulmouths (similar to Bipasha in 'Omkara' with no inhibition. Lara's French makeover may be irritating but she manages to live up to her character. She comes out as the strongest in actor's brigade and delivers impressive performance after her commendable comical act in 'No Entry'. Bobby's dull, dreary and aging looks fail to fit in the caricature of a suave socialite though his geek-looking character (double role) evokes some laughter. Unfortunately, Big B is completely wasted in his guest appearance but still his looks and dancing skills entertain the viewers.
Shankar Ehsaan Loy's music is the worthiest aspect and like its promising audio sales, it lives up to every occasion in the film with great success. All the soundtracks find affinity with the situations in the film but it fails to deliver a competent storyline to the audiences. Akki Narula's costumes are the second major highlight that paint the film in the brightest possible colors and textures. Ayanaka Bose's cinematography captures the urbane charm of Yorkshire, London, Birmingham and Southall with flamboyance. This is the brightest aspect after colorfully rich music as it illustrates the film's high production values.

Visual Effects (Red Chillies VFX) are mind-blowing and are seen in soundtracks like "Kiss of Love", "Jhoom" and "Jhoom Barabar Jhoom". Vaibhavi Merchant's choreographic skills are noteworthy in Big B's solo track and in the grand finale of the film. 'Jhoom Barabar Jhoom' proves to be the weakest offering from the Yashraj banner in recent times and a big disa ppointment from talented Shaad Ali. Its aggressive promotion coupled with multiple shows in the multiplexes will help get impressive returns in the first weekend but thereafter it might decline at a fast pace. This movie will be counted as one of the biggest disappointments of this year after the supreme debacle of 'Salaam-e-Ishq', 'Shakalaka Boom Boom' and 'The Train'.
In nutshell, it's "Doom" for Yashraj after colorful and adventurous "Dhoom"!

Awarapan

Director: Mohit Suri

Producer: Mukesh Bhatt, Mahesh Bhatt

Starring: Emraan Hashmi, Shreya Saran, Mrinalini Sharma, Rehan Khan

Music Dir: Pritam

Fortune always comes in disguise. If you recognize it, it will change your life forever and if you don't it will keep eluding you the rest of your life. It was during the making of 'Do Raste' that a young boy waited outside the vanity van of famous heroine Mumtaz. He was an assistant of director Raj Khosla and was deputed to bring Mumtaz to the sets once the shot was ready.
The boy later went on to become one of the most sought after director of Hindi Cinema and nowadays gives break to many new talents. His name is Mahesh Bhatt. He introduces Shriya and Mrinalini to Hindi cinema in 'Aawarapan' and also gives a new lease of life to Emraan Hashmi who for sure would be taken seriously after this film.
His kisser boy image has done lots of damage to him, but for the first time he does something that he can be proud of - intense acting. You can also see Shaad (nephew of Mumtaz) who got his first chance of acting in 'Woh Lamhe' courtesy Mumtaz who just mentioned his name to Mahesh Bhatt and then he came to Vishesh Films for the shooting of his first film.
'Aawarapan' was initially supposed to be an autobiographical film from Mahesh Bhatt's bastion, but seeing the film it does not seem to be so. This is a typical masala film from Hindi cinema but it is the treatment of the story that leaves you spellbound. The story of 'Aawarapan' may not offer you something very extraordinary but Mohit Suri does make it a treat to watch.
The canvas that he has chosen to depict a story of mistrust, betrayal and search for love, leaves you on a very different level. Mohit Suri is indeed making his presence felt very fast. He has established himself as a director to watch out for.
'Aawarapan' is a story of human emotions that have always been an integral part of all Indian stories. And a story where an employee of a powerful boss develops sympathy for his muse has always been very vulnerable. What Shah Rukh Khan couldn't do in Rakesh Roshan's 'Koyla' has been meted out with success in Mohit Suri's 'Aawarapan'. Emraan Hashmi plays Shivam, who is a lonely person.
He is lonely in his life and also in his thoughts. He has pain in his heart but will in his guts. He is working for his boss Malik (Ashutosh Rana) and his boss is everything for him. Malik has a muse Reema (Mrinalini Sharma) but he is not sure if she really loves him. So, he asks Shivam to keep an eye on her and if she betrays him, then Shivam has to give her a final call.

The smooth drama erupts into a volcano as soon as Malik leaves. Shivam witnesses some hard hitting facts on his back. He cannot believe that Reema had the guts to take a life threatening decision. She had been hiding her boyfriend for so many days from the vulture like eyes of Malik. And, now she wants to elope with her boyfriend. Shivam is in a fix.
He has seen love leaving him in the past and now he has to face the biggest challenge of his life. Either he betrays his boss and help the young lovers or he can challenge the destiny and be loyal to his duty. Life is such an 'Aawarapan'.
The movie belongs to Mohit Suri from the very first frame. He is clear what he has got to tell to his viewers in 12 reels. He casts just accurate actors in perfect roles. The story is very humane and Mohit treats it very cautiously. The darkness of the film engulfs your mind slowly. It seeps in the veins with all its seriousness.
It turns volatile but with ease. In minutes, the film becomes part of the viewer's psyche. And, it is because Mohit Suri gets his artist enact all the scenes very aesthetically. 'Aawarapa' doesn't offer a blooming bouquet of flowers, but it comes as a beautiful cactus that everyone will love to keep in his or her drawing room. It's dark, intense and has lots of undercurrent. The film is a litmus test for any maker and it is just because of his conviction that Mohit Suri passes it with aplomb.
Among actors, Emraan Hashmi scores the maximum . His every move and every cut is very well designed. Right from his first act of violence till his volatile end, he oozes energy on screen. He delivers his dialogues with aptness and always seems to be at ease with this character.
Mohit Suri has given him a life time opportunity in 'Aawarapan' and it will always remain a milestone in Emraan's career . He just needs to bank on this role and move to a direction that will establish him as a good actor.
Shriya in a brief role brings in freshness and charm. She is like a fresh breeze of Mumbai Monsoon and if anything is left by the female lead, Mrinalini grabs the space with her guts and matches with the demand of the story. It's good to see an actor like Ashutosh Rana still around but the sad part is that he is not getting good roles. Isn't it a case of talent going waste! Purab Kohli, Shaad and Rehan too give full hearted performances.

Music wise, 'Aawarapan' scores at every beat. Pritam is fast becoming a permanent fixture for Vishesh Films' ventures. His tunes have melody and peppiness and both at a time. Raaj Chakravarti captures some very good scenes and emotions on camera.
He proves this when every scene of the film becomes part of the story and remains with you when you leave the cinema hall. On the whole, 'Aawarapan' is a good film from the Bhatt camp and will keep the jolly mood alive for the whole year for them.

Aap Ka Surroor

Director: Prashant Chadha
Producer: Vijay Taneja
Starring: Himesh Reshammiya, Mallika Sherawat, Hansika Motwani
Music Dir: Himesh Reshammiya

'Aap Ka Surror' or "Surror ka Gurror"! Labeled as a musical tornado in 2006, the storm created in the music charts by this bearded and capped composer-turned-singer made history of kind that resulted in glory coupled with controversies. The name of Himesh Reshammiya became the keyword in musical business that proved miracle for creating tremendous openings for films. His slick and stylish music videos became the promotional soundtracks that generated hype and hoopla for the film and finally his album "Aap Ka Surror" entered the marquee with huge thump. The sporadic events proved so consequential that the acting proved the next big phase and predictable landmark in his brand building. The euphoria proved groundbreaking and trendsetting that the team of Reshammiya-Sameer-Chadha is back to rock the world.
If you believe in the gloss, glitz of showbiz then its better that you don't wear your thinking cap to view 'Aap Ka Surror'. Prashant Chaddha, the director and the creative head for all Himesh Reshammiya music videos, promises "masala" entertainer but no logics are to be applied. Chadha's "larger than life" perception and execution has landed him in the unexplored exotic locations of Germany with great visual experiences. The film's gloss, slick promotion and chartbusting music should be treated as its attribute while scripting takes a backseat.
The film starts with a dead body of TV journo Nadia Merchant found in a remote area, somewhere in the dense forests of Germany. Himesh Reshammiya alias HR (Himesh Reshammiya) is a pop icon and visits Germany with his friend Shravan for concert shows. HR is arrested after concert for murdering television journalist who operates a "sting operation". HR is arrested and is put behind the bars and the story unravels into flashback.
During a concert in Germany, HR meets the event organizer Khurana (Darshan Jariwala) and his partner Ruby James (Mallika Sherawat). He also meets event planner Ria (Hansika Motwani) in a tiff with a burglar at his place and it's love at first sight for him. Love blossoms between them but still there are hurdles to be crossed. After initial hesitation and resentment, Hansika's father (Sachin Khedekar) approves of this match. Circumstances take a turn ; HR is arrested when life shapes well for him.
He asks Ruby James, a shrewd and competent lawyer, to bail him out. Since Ruby is in love with HR, she resents his sensuous overtures towards Ria. He escapes from his prison cell after taking the murdered TV journalist's father Feroze Merchant (Raj Babbar) as captive in his car. He has to find the actual culprit in one single day, or else his sweetheart will be married off to someone else. The film ends on a preposterous ending that it decimates all the spirited musical work of the film.
If the film's first half is highly entertaining (flashy soundtracks, exotic locations, romance, and comedy) then the second half rests on its thin plot and feeble execution. Prashant Chaddha is a slick and trendy video director-turned-film director but has a limitation as competent storyteller. Himesh Reshammiya may not be any star material but his supreme pop icon image makes him a saleable commodity. His biggest strength lies in his confidence to perform and apt body language that lift the spirits of the film. As compared to his musical contemporaries (Sonu Nigam and Kumar Sanu), he proves to be the most competent and by far the most successful singer-turned-actor.
'Aap Ka Surror's biggest asset lies in its technically brilliant musical soundtracks that enthrall senses in its glossy depiction. Feel the rhythmic impulse of feverish concert show in "Assasalam Valeekum", the mushy romance in "Tera Mera Milna" and festive thump in "Jhooth Nahin Bolna". The nostalgic "Tere Bina" and expressively painful "Tanhaiyaan" are the added listening treats that are well executed on the silver screen. It's musical mania all the way and its biggest commercial asset.
The biggest surprise lies in its acting department and the film lives up to its expectation in every frame. Himesh Reshammiya's screen presence is the biggest surprise. His expressive dialogue delivery with optimum facial and body language shows acting potential in him. The film proves that he is no novice and can handle emotional scenes with élan. Hansika Motwani's striking screen debut in Hindi cinema works in tandem with Himesh's impressive acting skills. She has matured from child artiste ('Koi Mil Gaya') to female main lead with supreme confidence.

Shravan, the young actor who started off with dud 'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye' makes an effective screen presence with this film. After Sharman Joshi and Kunal Kapoor, he comes out as another underdog who has flair for good acting and impressive comical timing. The first half completely belongs to his and Himesh Reshammiya's friendly chemistry that triggers loads of laughter and moments of amusement in the film.
Mallika Sherawat, the sensuous "Murder" babe, plays another impressive performance of sexy lawyer who befriends a fugitive for justice. Her sensuous dancing in the soundtracks "Mehbooba" and "Dillagi" (earlier "Ya Ali" in music CD's) is a big crowd puller.
Darshan Jhaveri, a trusted theatre artiste, gets first major screen appearance as the main villain. He gets on the top occasionally with his eccentric and unusual on-screen characterization. Raj Babbar is completely wasted in the role of a desolated father of slain TV journalist.
Now the minuses! Don't expect anything innovative or ground breaking as filmmaker has never promises anything in its promos. 'Aap Ka Surror' is contemporary romantic murder mystery conceived in 80's style of an action potboiler. The stereotyped romance of rich and poor, the fight between good and evil and feebly executed climax are its major drawbacks.
The romantic track between Himesh Reshammiya and Hansika Motwani is entertaining and gripping in the film's first half. The situational hilarious moments are well planted but when the narration contorts to murder mystery track, it disappoints. After giving a promising and gripping start to the film, Prashant Chadha along with writer Vibha Singh, falters miserably while solving the murder mystery. The second half has many instances where the preposterous narration in the film kills the show.
Amateurishly conceived "auto-rickshaw" sequence where Reshammiya is freed from the police arrest is coarsely planted. The final scene where villain (Darshan Jhaveri) confesses his murder in front of a big TV screen is a major let down. Hansika Motwani along with his father (Sachin Khedkar) monitoring Reshammiya's innocence on TV screen and deciding to quit from arranged marriage is another sore thumb in the script.
In an era of multiplexes, how can you expect a business magnate (Darshan Jhaveri) murdering a TV journalist by wearing facial mask of pop icon (Himesh Reshammiya) ? If filmmakers have big plans of launching Himesh Reshammiya as screen god then they should have worked on better themes or plots. Why do they come with a messy and absurd script?
'Aap Ka Surror' works more as a mass entertainer made in the format of musical entertainer. If the film was conceived as light-hearted romantic-cum-comical entertainer then it would have had more takers as the murder mystery plot has ruined its credentials.
The bankable pop icon image of Himesh Reshammiya, aggressive promotion, high production value and melodious music will draw huge crowds during the first weekend. Now, its between "style" or "substance" that viewers have to choose as it lacks major ingredients of good scripting though it entertains with slick gloss and upbeat music.

Overall, Himesh Reshammiya's debut performance as an actor has proved credible but not groundbreaking as his singing or composing abilities do.
The film promises impressive openings in multiplexes but thereafter its prospects will depend on "good" word of publicity. In a nutshell, "Surror" ka "Gurror" is a delightful musical fanfare but unimpressive entertainer!

Bombay To Goa

Director: Raj Pendurkar

Producer: Humayu Rangilla

Starring: Sunil Pal, Raju Shrivastava, Ehsaan Qureshi, Tinu Anand, Vijay Raaz, Naveen Prabhakar, Rauf Lala, Asrani, Jagdeep, Paintal, Dinesh Hingoo, Jr. Mehmood, Viju Khote, Birbal, Manorama, Pran, Manmouji, Deepak Shirke, Bharat Kapoor, Sudhir Pandey, Nafisa , Banwarilal Jhol, Anirudh Agarwal, Sanjay Mishra, Mac Mohan, Shakti Kapoor, Deepak Raja, Ranjeet, Khayali, Bajrang Badshah, Payal Desai, Aasif Sheikh, Sheila Sharma, Raj Kanojia

Music Dir: Nitin Shankar

Thirty-five years ago a tall youngman left his good job in Calcutta and came to the dream city of Bombay to become an actor. He got a good friend there in Anwar Ali who was brother of famous actor Mehmood. Incidentally, at the behest of Anwar Ali only this tall youngman got his first good action shot in ' Bombay to Goa' directed by S Ramanathan.
The action sequence got him noticed in the film industry and also got him his first super hit film 'Zanjeer'. Yes, this tall person has been none other than Amitabh Bachchan. Thirty-five years later a little known producer Humayun Rangeela makes a film on the same journey. The film also casts two actors who were also part of the first film. They are Jr Mehmood and Manorama. Before these two actors only Amitabh Bachchan had acted in two films of the same title 'Deewar'.
Junior Mehmood and Manorama may not have been noticed like Amitabh, but it takes a lot to sustain oneself in the industry for 35 long years . Humayun Rangeela's 'Bombay to Goa' is also an assemble of some of the best comedians of the entertainment industry.
Though it relies heavily on new laughter champions, due share has been given to veterans as well. 'Journey Bombay to Goa' has been developed as a road movie, a genre not so popular in Hindi films. Earlier, Ram Gopal Varma tried to infuse some spirit in the genre with films like 'Daud' and 'Road', but his efforts went in vain.
Now, director Raju Pendurkar tries his hands on the same genre with a blend of comedy. The story starts with Sunil Pal playing the character of Lal whereas Vijay Raaz plays Das. Lal is today's shekhchilli ( day dreamer ) . Das is a driver and quits his job because he is not happy with the habits of his boss.
Fortune comes knocking at their door when Lal wins an amount of Rs 200,000 in a contest. They plan a travel agency and wish to make their own bus all by themselves. After all, they cannot buy a vehicle within this amount.
They go to Chor Bazar , assemble second hand parts and make a prototype of some kind of a vehicle that can move on the road but is unable to offer luxury of a tourist coach. They go on a trip to Goa with a variety of passengers; each of them is unique.

A fellow passenger tells them the whereabouts of a hidden treasure. With Raju Shrivastava, Sunil Pal, Vijay Raaz and Sanjay Mishra, one can expect a huge laugh riot on the screen, but it's not easy to hold on the attention of viewers for three hours.
Difference between small screen and big screen is very huge. For a film, there has to be a gripping story in it. 'Journey Bombay To Goa' has some good punch lines and few very good incidents but that don't make much impact on the story. Viewers may remember these parts of the film but not the whole film when they leave the theater.
So, the problem surfaces within first 15 minutes ; it exposes the plot and then remains stagnant for the rest of the time. Raju Pendurkar as a director has the mettle to make a good comedy but actors like Aasif Sheikh, Tinnu Anand and Asrani , throw the spanner in the wheels.
These actors have been typed in their roles over the years and even if they try to break the mould, it might cast doom on their career. Raju also tries to take help from the likes of Sudhir Pandey and Mac Mohan, and both of them do their best as well. However, the overall impact is missing in the film.
A better film was expected from Raju because films made on funny situations are no more orders of the day. Even directors like Priyadarshan and producers like Sajid Nadiadwala have started looking for freshness in the plots.
A director like Mani Shankar may have been trying to make a good comedy film on a strong story line, but the result at the end of the day has not been encouraging. Comedy is a serious act and sooner these filmmakers learn this better would it be for them.

'Journey Bombay To Goa' could have been a hilarious movie if Raju had got some help from his team. First to falter among them is, of course, the screenplay writer. The duration of the film is too long and it could have been trimmed at the editing table to fit in two-hour format.
Pace and timing are vital for every comedy and Raju Pendurkar fails here miserably. Besides, there is no good music and it relies on the mouth of word publicity. Hence, the response post-Sunday might not be very encouraging.
The film looks like an amateur attempt by a bundle of comedians who are out to prove themselves but lack team spirit. On the whole, 'Journey Bombay to Goa' is an average film that will appeal to a limited audience and has not much scope to be a general entertainer.

Naqaab

Director: Abbas-Mustan

Producer: Kumar S Taurani, Ramesh S Taurani
Starring: Bobby Deol, Akshaye Khanna, Urvashi Sharma, Vikas Kalantri
Music Dir: Pritam Chakraborty

Director Abbas Mustan have churned out thrillers like 'Baazigar', 'Ajnabee', 'Humraaz', 'Aitraaz' to name a few.They are the masters when it comes to thrillers. 'Naqaab' is another romantic thriller from the stable of this director duo. After 'Humraaz', Abbas Mustan, Akshay Khanna and Bobby Deol team up again, also introducing model Urvashi Sharma as an actress.
'Naqaab' is not just another love triangle, but a twisted thrilling love story. The movie does have a lot of suspense in it but does the movie actually stand up to being the most thrilling love story of the year? Well, not quite.
This is how the story goes... Karan (Bobby Deol) is a multi millionaire who falls in love with a middle-class gorgeous girl Sophie (Urvashi Sharma). Sophie, a girl of self-will, in spite of being the love of Karan's life works at a burger house to earn her living. Being with Karan, Sophie had love, happiness, riches and glamour that she never dreamt of possessing.
Here we are introduced to our second hero Vicky (Akshaye Khanna). Vicky a middle-class charming young man aims to become an actor, but fails and is out of work. He meets Sophie at a beach resort.
A dance at the resort sweeps both of them off their feet . Despite being engaged, Sophie starts falling in love with Vicky because of his witty and winning talks and actions. Karan is unaware of the relationship that is blossoming between Sophie and Vikram.
Well this sounds like a usual love triangle, a girl trapped between two men. But that's not all what 'Naqaab' has in store for us. Besides all this, there is a fourth person who is monitoring all the three characters. There is something that creates turmoil in the lives of the three.

Slowly the story is unmasked and the true faces come to limelight. Is Vicky the only reason behind the split of Karan and Sophie? Is he the only baddie? Is Karan the right man for Sophie? Are the characters the same as they appear? 'Naqaab' conceals different intentions.
The concept chosen by Abbas-Mustan for Naqaab is excellent but the execution fails. The story is dealt in an unusual way, something unique but feeble. The first half of the movie has almost nothing unique or thrilling, most of the sequences are completely predictable.
The movie provokes no emotions. The beep that is heard every time the fourth person shoots the activities of these characters is annoying. One could also easily guess the man behind all the suspense, but the intention remained unknown.
The ending was different but not convincing. The repeated twists in reaching the ultimate climax has probably never been employed in any Bollywood film before. The approach is interesting but the result not convincing. The setting of the award ceremony evidently appeared unrealistic. And when did human blood become thinner like water and the color so light?
Cinematography is excellent. The locales of Dubai have been captured well. Music was satisfactory.
Bobby Deol looks the character he's been asked to portray but he is not spontaneous. Overall Bobby is good but his expression seems forced. Akshay Khanna's acting is first-rate.
The chemistry that he shares with Urvashi is electric. Urvashi is confident throughout. She looks gorgeous and her performance is exceptional for a debutant.

She still needs to work on her dialogue delivery. Some homework will increase her chances of pushing towards the top league.
Raj Zutshi is wasted. Vikas Kalantri and Vishal Malhotra are alright.
Overall, 'Naqaab' breaks the promise of being the most thrilling love story of the year. With an interesting and unique theme, the movie fails to be captivating.

Partner

Director: David Dhawan
Producer: Sohail Khan, K Sera Sera
Starring: Govinda, Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Lara Dutta, Dilip Tahil, Amey Pandya
Music Dir: Sajid-Wajid


There is an old proverb that defines friendship; a friend in need is a friend indeed. Yes, this is what friendship is all about. There are many other definitions about the relationship, but this one describes the partnership as the best.
Though Salman Khan doesn't run any venture in partnership with Govinda, yet he has proven umpteen times that he is a gem of friend. Salman provided Govinda a return break in Nikhil Advani's 'Salaam-E-Ishq' and now he presents Govinda as his buddy in 'Partner'. The film also unites veteran David Dhawan with his 'Hero No 1'.
More than a decade back David and Govinda ruled the box office; they gave hits after hits and to be precise 16 hits and super hits in a decade. This is sort of record that will be hard to break for any actor-director partnership.
However, the problem arose when David thought of his Midas' touch and Govinda of his star status and started doing comedy films with other directors. Over the period, both Govinda and David have learnt the value of each other. So, they have come together to revive their fortune.
It's a sort of comeback test for both of them and Salman plays a catalyst , rather a superb catalyst not only to make these two work together again but also for the film that works wonders if you are watching this with your partner.
Partner' isn't a story of two friends. Salman Khan plays Prem, The Love Guru. He is sort of a consultant who will give advise to those who wish to win their love. He is a famous figure and people chase him for this . One of his fans is Bhaskar Diwakar Chaudhary (Govinda). Bhaskar loves his boss Priya (Katrina Kaif). Since he is an ordinary employee, he daren't discuss his love with her. So, he approaches Love Guru for the solution.


Prem errs in identifying the girl that Bhaskar is talking about and agrees to take up his case, but runs away when he learns that Bhaskar is actually in love with the daughter of a business tycoon.
Then, the story takes a Tom and Jerry kind of turn and David seems to be highly inspired by Raj Kumar Santoshi's 'Andaaz Apna Apna' , as the ruffles and rashes that develop from the banging of Prem and Bhaskar are the same as in 'Andaaz Apna Apna'.
It makes you laugh. It tickles you and it pleases you right at the place where you need it most. There are few more characters in the story like the single mother Naina (Lara Dutta), Rana (Puneet Issar) and Chhota Don (Rajpal Yadav).
David Dhawan or say Salman Khan, as he is unofficial producer of the film (officially it is produced by his brother Sohail), has assembled a good cast. It is a visual treat to see two sensuous and gorgeous looking ladies in one frame. Lara Dutta has never looked so beautiful before. Besides, she is learning acting skills very fast. She is no more a showpiece kind of girl. Katrina Kaif's working in her beau's film has always been a fun.
Most noteworthy that Salman allows her girlfriend to play the lead opposite his friend. This is Salman's large-heartedness . Who else could have agreed to be the heroine of a fading and almost out of the scene ex comedy star? But, Katrina plays her role with oomph thrown in at the right places.
She dons gesture of a working lady when she is in office but looks like a woman on steam when she is in the bed. She looks hot! Among actors, Salman and Govinda are at ease working together and Salman repeats himself in most of the scenes. It is Govinda who tries to take out a rabbit from the hat in every scene.
There isn't much to be done by a director in films like these as a technician. However, it takes a lot of guts to make two people of such a stature bring under one roof and treat both of them as the first lead of the film.
What Priydarshan couldn't do in 'Bhagam Bhag' with Akshay and Govinda, has successfully been attained by David Dhawan in 'Partner'. The last five or 10 minutes of Suhag Raat sequences seem to be thrown in without any reason, though they are as entertaining as the whole film.

However, this could make parents who come to see the film with kids jittery as the film has been given a U Certificate. Photography and editing are superb and so is the music by Sajid Wajid. The latter were once Salman's protégé and they also got a chance in 'Pyaar to Kiya Darna Kya', but later Himesh took over from them.
But, Himesh has again fallen out of grace in the Salman camp. Hence, Sajid Wajid can cash on the music of this film for their better future. Songs like "Maria Maria" and "Do you wanna partner" are already craze of the nation and will certainly give the film a push at the box office. A must watch for this weekend!

Cash

Director: Anubhav Sinha

Producer: Sohail Maklai

Starring: Ajay Devgan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Zayed Khan, Arjun Rampal, Esha Deol, Shamita Shetty, Diya Mirza

Music: Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani

Confusing! Indeed, very, very confusing!!! All style and no substance…the old story of a big flashy entertainer falling prey to its ploy and surfacing again as a flashy entertainer in the shape of 'Cash' hitting the marquee with a big bang. Anubhav Sinha's 'Cash' adds itself to the genre and cadre of such big budget entertainers that promise loads of hi-octane thrill and style but falter miserably on inadequacy of substance.
What more can any film expect for its grand opening? A multi-starrer face value, upbeat and foot-thumping music and above all the unexplored adventures of kite surfing, river rafting, skate boarding, sky diving in its action packed endeavors. To make it even more stylized, there is plenty of animation in its narration but the soul of a competent entertainer is completely missing. Like 'Tum Bin' and 'Dus', the film lags in its scripting and narration department.
The escapist cinema surfaced with the surprise success of Yashraj's 'Dhoom' and thereafter created unparallel history with the supreme success of its sequel 'Dhoom 2'. There were disappointments in this genre when stylish action flicks like 'Dus', 'Kaante', 'Musafir' and lately 'Fool n Final' failed to find acceptance among general audiences despite their glossy and different styling and treatment.
Anubhav Sinha, the technocratic film genius has had a successful career in advertising and video songs world besides making a mark with his stylish form of filmmaking in 'Dus' and 'Tum Bin'. However, none of these films fared brilliantly at the box office though the director got rave reviews and acclaim for his stylized presentation.
Anubhav's 'Cash' is the first film where Bollywood giant Adlabs has ventured into centralized distribution and marketing. The film got its major boost when Adlabs targeted its release on more than 800 screens, making it one of the widest releases ever for Hindi films especially at a time when several big films from Hollywood and Bollywood are fighting for screen space. It can't be better pedestal for any film but the hype and hoopla failed to find its desired result.
Cash' works on the ideology of diamond stealing "hit and run" chase thriller similar to the adventures of Hollywood's 'Ocean Twelve'. It works on many plots and sub-plots and includes a bunch of bankable and upcoming star cast. Ajay Devgan, the lead man and mastermind of all con acts, leads the cast that includes Riteish Deshmukh, Zayed Khan, Esha Deol, Suniel Shetty, Dia Mirza and Shamita Shetty in the lead roles.
'Cash' runs on a ploy about capturing series of three priceless diamonds by groups of gangsters . Thereafter it shapes into "chor-police" potboiler. It traces back to the 80's era where the escapist cinema achieved its golden success This was the era where directors like Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra ruled the industry with their mystical directorial charm.
'Cash' fails in gripping and besides all major cracks and dents, its biggest drawback lies in its characterization and narration. Director Sinha lacks the talent of a good storyteller though he succeeds commendably in delivering an upbeat stylized presentation to his work.
The plots are meekly narrated and the sub-plots (stealing and conning acts) show the height of amateurishness among the writers (Yash-Vinay). The film fails to prove the might of the protagonist as an indomitable con artiste but definitely proves the inefficiency of an otherwise competent South African police.

'Cash', a film about perfect thieves, con men comes out as scheming act of "stealing" diamonds from the mindsets of two masterminds - Karan alias Doc (Ajay Devgan) and Angad (Suniel Shetty). Both the shrewd con men have big plans of capturing three priceless diamonds and it involves some major players who make their plans work in the best possible way. Doc seeks the help of Danny alias DJ (Zayed Khan) and Lucky (Riteish Deshmukh). If Danny is a "water baby" and can conquer all water acts then Lucky has the power to race the wind through his immaculate skating skills.
Pooja (Esha Deol), a street smart club dancer, is torn between Danny and Lucky but plays an important role in Doc's plan of capturing diamonds. Aditi (Dia Mirza), a gorgeous looking con girl who initiates the plan of stealing diamonds, is a close associate to both Angad and Doc. Finally, there is some positively groomed character in Shania (Shamita Shetty), an agile and honest cop who fights her heart out in tracing out criminals.
Doc alias Karan wears multiple personalities in his life as he hides his real identity to his lady love Shania. Doc plans to steal diamonds along with Danny, Lucky and Esha. However, he faces competition from his rival don Angad. Aditi is the common factor between them but the stolen diamonds are still far from their reach. 'Cash' ends on a very disappointing and predictable climax though the producers have made all efforts by infusing loads of actions and thrills in it.
It's enthralling to view breathtaking action sequences where kite surfacing, skate boarding and skydiving have been brilliantly visualized. Unfortunately, the poorly narrated screenplay fails to bind these flashy endeavors and the film ends on a very cold note.
The characterizations are haphazardly sketched and the plots relating to their skills and their characters are even more disappointing. Ajay Devgan's acting like a cold lover in front of goons and thereafter blasting their car outside the hotel is monotonously penned. Riteish Deshmukh's stealing of an expensive painting museum through his silly kabadi act is ridiculous.
The sequence where both Zayed and Riteish plan to rob a French bank seems absurd. Esha Deol never looked like a club dancer in her coarsely designed skimpy outfits and her poor make up and costumes show the poor vision of costume designer and choreographers. Shamita Shetty's mediocre acting skills are another disappointing factor that makes it an unworthy show. Zayed Khan's shayari lacks the desired hilarious punches.
The movie's high point lies in the action department where action director Anthony Stone has delivered the needful at all places. Animation (by Graphiti) works in tandem with the narration but obstructs viewer's attention at many places.
It has to be curtailed and should have been placed and packed the way director Kunal Kohli has adapted skills in 'Hum Tum'. Vishal and Shekhar have fought back commendably with their hi-pitched "trance" music.
Their foot-thumping entertainment is delivered through tracks like "Cash", "Na Pucho" and "Mind Blowing Mahiya". Dialogues (Anubhav Sinha) suffer from mediocrity and fail in delivering hilarious one-liners. In spite of this, there are few sequences that evolve laughter but overall it disappoints.
Cinematography by Ravi Walia is breathtaking and captures the urbane delights of Cape Town and other South African cities.

Story and screenplay (Yash-Vinay) are the major culprits and this is where 'Cash' fails to "cash" its hype and buzz. Director Anubhav Sinha has once again shown his inadequacy in delivering a competent storyline that could guarantee success at the box office.
'Cash' will be enjoying a better opening than its contemporaries but later on it may falter for its average performances, poor scripting and low substance.
It's once again proved that "style" alone can't be a winner for any film and the filmmaker needs to shoulder his or her project with reliable scripting skills.

Traffic Signal

Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Producer: Percept Picture Company
Starring: Neetu Chandra, Kunal Khemu, Konkona Sen Sharma, Ranvir Shorey, Sudhir Mishra, Upyendra Limaye, D Santosh
Music Dir: Shamir Tandon
Singer: Hariharan, Yogita Pathak, Baba Sehgal, Kailash Kher, Jagjit Singh, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
He started as a delivery boy of VHS cassettes in Mumbai. Then, he also worked as an assistant director with Ram Gopal Varma. Soon, he shifted his mind from filmmaking and ran to the Gulf to earn his bread. Then, he returned and made a super flop 'Trishakti'. No one noticed him, until one fine day he banged up on an out of the blue idea and made a film called 'Chandni Bar'. The film was a runaway hit. From then, there was no looking back for him. He has won two National Awards so far, and the energy express has just stopped at 'Traffic Signal'. He is Madhur Bhandarkar, another Mani Rathnam in making? He comes before you as just any other guy from the filmdom, but once behind the camera his films do jolt you to the hilt.
After showing true faces of 'Page 3' personalities and 'Corporate' world in his last two films, Madhur decides to take a break from glitterati and looks deep in the lives of those whose faces we don't remember though we see them, meet them and more often than not talk to them everyday. They are people living their life on traffic Signals. Seems to be a weird idea on face, but just think of hundreds of people who have just one anchor in their life, a Traffic Signal, and think of the time when an over-bridge threatens to make this signal vanish one fine day.
Starting the film I was sure of one thing that 'Traffic Signal' will not be just one more from Hindi film industry. Madhur's films have never been so. He tries to defy the stereotype. And, even he sometimes looks in a Hara-kiri mode when he even wishes to rub off his own identity that he got from his last film. Viewers say that his last two films 'Page 3' and 'Corporate' were for classes and only for multiplex audience. But, this last film of the trilogy takes a complete U-turn and take you to the streets where you will not even wish to stand for a minute and Madhur wishes us to watch a story of two hours and five minutes made on this locale. Will it work, will it not? A film like 'Salam-E- Ishq' with just 12 characters failed miserably and Madhur has 60 characters at his command. The censor certificate says it is just seven-reel film but will Madhur stand during these reels as strongly as he did in his last two films? I am inquisitive, so would have been Madhur.
The film takes us to a traffic signal on some Kelkar Marg in Mumbai. On this signal thrives a full generation of beggars and sellers of petty items. There, this boy who comes neatly dressed in a bus, gets down near the signal. He throws away his clothes, puts some grease on the face and roams around in just one underwear and earns enough money to take his girlfriend to a multiplex (He meets his daily 'customer' here and lands in a funny situation). This small boy Dambar who looks at fairness cream ads and spends his hard earned money to buy them, thinks that the will make him look fair. Small people, small dreams! Then there is Dominique (Ranvir Shorey), who is a drug addict and cheats people for money by saying he is a software engineer and has lost his wallet on the way while going for an interview. He is in love with a roadside prostitute Noorie (Konkana Sen Sharma). And, there is Silsila (Kunal Khemu) who is manager of this signal. His job is to collect commission from all these people and make it reach to the mafia don who runs a multi-million beggar racket in the city.
On the face you smell foul while coming out of the screen as the camera keeps on moving into slums. There is no glamour added to the story, no butter paper cinematography, no dream sequences, . no thumping background music and no great costumes. 'Traffic Signal' lacks all the ingredients of a masala entertainer. But, still it works because of one reason; it has its perception right. Madhur knows what he is going to show. The film that rolls very slowly in the first half picks its momentum just before the interval when we see an NGO worker collecting the entire thrown away plastic tricolor and putting them esthetically in his bag.

The film is more on the lines of 'Salam Bombay' of Meera Nair than Ram Gopal Verma's 'Satya'. The difference that Madhur has made in filmmaking is that it has narrowed the gap between mainstream cinema and commercial cinema. He makes meaningful commercial cinema. And, the greatest achievement for him is that stars are now more than willing to work in films like this. If you are watching 'Traffic Signal' now, it is on the cost of the film not waiting to get premiered in the Cannes film festival. Yes, people from Cannes especially flew down to Mumbai to watch the film and request its producer to hold its release for them. But, makers of 'Traffic Signal' decided to win native hearts first.
Madhur has come a long way in filmmaking. He is still a very down to earth person and it is this quality that got him the idea of make a film on beggars. He found this novel idea while walking from his home to famous Siddhi Vinayak temple on foot. He watched them on the way and was literally moved to feel their sufferings. But, it is not only the sufferings that make 'Traffic Signal' work , it is the sheer amount of life thrown into the celluloid that makes you feel them. When Ranvir Shorey gives you those blank looks, you feel the pain right in your heart. When he dies seeing his girlfriend sleeping with her customer, it pains you, too. It also pains you when little boy Tsunami spends all his money in searching his lost parents. There is more pain sometimes on the face of Silsila who ends up getting used as a tool in a murder and it also gives you pain when you see people from other states coming to beg in Mumbai and even to get their hands and legs amputed so that they can earn their bread.
Among all these pains there are moments of pleasure as well. You feel happy when Dominique succeeds in cheating some good-looking guy. You also become part of Silsila's family when he welcomes the would be in-laws of his dear sister. This sequence shows how beggars fix their marriages and yes, without dowry as it is only for rich people. One can also feel the happiness that comes from the gifts of beloved. Rani (Neetu Chandra) may be just an average Kathiawadi girl but she is the only among the signal crowd who loves Silsila.
'Traffic Signal' makes a good film even though it is not as stylish as were 'Corporate' and 'Page 3'. Madhur intentionally makes the camera work look shaggy. The post-production effects have been left to give the film a raw appeal. The scene where people mourn the downfall of the signal is the best one and the way the traffic cop removes his cap from the head. The film is good for those who want to see good cinema; it is brilliant for those who are fed up of seeing masala films and is the best for those who love cinema of festival circuit kind. But, there is a catch. And the catch is that the teenagers may just not click with the idea of seeing a film on beggars. Once this thought is rubbed off their minds they will definitely watch this latest outing.


There are some good performances from Ranvir, Konkana and Kunal Khemu. Ranvir needs more meaty roles to show his potential and a full-length role too. Konkana is on the verge of filling the gap that has been void since the demise of Smita Patil and Kunal; he is an actor to watch out for. Next, you will see him in Priyadarshan's 'Dhol', and until then, Happy Watching.
PS: There is a very beautiful song sung by Bhupinder Singh in the film.

Eklavya

Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Producer: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Saif Ali Khan, Vidya Balan, Sharmila Tagore, Boman Irani, Jimmy Shergill, Raima Sen
Music Dir: Shantanu Moitra

Vidhu Vinod Chopra always longed to make a film with Amitabh Bachchan and Eklavya was the outcome.
But so smitten was Chopra with extracting the best from Bachchan that he quite overlooked other talents in the cast who gave their career best performances in his films? Sanjay Dutt (Munnabhai), Jackie Shroff (Parinda), Saif Ali Khan (Parineeta) and Vidya Balan (Parineeta). No, none of them are anything below good in the film but you had expected the best with all of them coming together.
Eklavya is designed as a thriller but comes out more as a drama. Chopra derives the age-old 'property inheritor' formula (the jaydaad ki ladaai) and smoothly camouflages it with a royal backdrop and dharma (duty) driven principles from Mahabharat.
Eklavya is symbolic to a character of the same name from Mahabharat who cut off his thumb just to repay his teacher. With his interpretation of Eklavya, Chopra raises the question that like Eklavya should one follow dead traditions with changing times in the modern world.
Jaywardhan (Boman Irani) is the king of a royal dynasty. His brother Jyotiwardhan (Jackie Shroff) and nephew Udaywardhan (Jimmy Shergill) want to inherit the property that the king possesses.
The king's son Harshwardhan (Saif Ali Khan) who has stayed all this while in London is the next heir and so the target. So basically all the wardhans are involved in a 'war' for 'dhan'. Eklavya (Amitabh Bachchan) who happens to be the royal guard of the dynasty comes to Harshwardhan's rescue. But Eklavya has more reasons to support Harshwardhan...
The problem with Eklavya is that the royal secret that the guard wants to safely protect from the world is unveiled to the audiences in the opening reels itself.
So there is not much of suspense left in the thriller. The thrill resurfaces only in the climax with a twist in the tale. The film offers what you expect but doesn't exceed your expectation or imagination.

Technically the film is brilliant with splendid camerawork by Binod Pradhan, fabulous art design by Nitin Desai and authentic costume designs by Raghvendra Rathore that recreates the royal Rajasthan aura.
The pace is slow. Thankfully there is only one romantic track (between Saif-Vidya) and one song in the film. The film is crisply edited to a runtime of just around 100 minutes. The background score comprising of gayatri mantra is effective but tends to get repetitive after a point of time.
The conventional ends in the story are concealed with some impressively written and elegantly executed sequences in the screenplay. Especially three scenes in the film are its highlights. First is when Amitabh displays his traditional sword artistry in the water tank.
Second is Jimmy Shergill's assassination where the screen completely black outs for literally two minutes but stills holds your attention for every single second. And the third one is the train sequence in the climax involving Jackie Shroff. The culmination of the plot where Eklavya bends the bygone laws is also smartly executed.
Eklavya essentially was designed for Amitabh Bachchan and he undoubtedly will walk away with all the accolades. In the first half of the film he just stands behind every character in the frame saying nothing.
But your eyes are still focused on him ? that's his screen presence. And his eyes with all the wrinkles beneath speak volumes. Check him out in that one scene where he cries when he fails in his duty and you know what acting is all about.

Unfortunately while everyone else in the cast is good enough, none of them rise above the script. Saif comes closest to Bachchan with his chiseled act. The supremely talented Boman Irani comes next who is just perfect with the mannerisms for his character.
Jackie, Jimmy, Vidya and Raima are fairly good in their extended special appearances (well, one can't complain on the screen footage either with the crisp-n-crunch film runtime). Sadly Sanjay Dutt is wasted. Eklavya is a good film. But we were expecting it to be a great film.

Mere Baap Pehle App

Mere Baap Pehle App
Director: Priyadarshan
Producer: Ketan Maroo, Mansi Maroo
Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Naseruddin Shah, Shobhana, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav, Genelia Dsouza, Archana Puran Singh

Priyadarshan is rightly called as one of the busiest Bollywood directors inasmuch as he has always got multiple assignments in his kitty. We haven't heard the director going out on vacation; he is occupied in another venture even before the earlier one is released.
He relaxes but while working though he plays lax during its making. However, this time Priyan seems to have failed in getting the humor come from the story rather than through not very decent dialogues, if not absurd.
The critics agree that the getting Om Puri in an item number mode and making him dance around dusky damsels on dirty beaches might not be the best opening idea for a film.
What predictably starts as the actor's dream sequence ends up being the audience's nightmare for almost the entire course of the film. Further, having the senior actor topless or making him strip to his striped underwear is neither amusing nor funny. That precisely gives the hint of the humour to follow.
When both have grown up; Gaurav treats his father just like his son. Both , the father and the younger son manage the household plus their business. Why does Gaurav treat his father like a son? There is a just reason behind it.

He does it to save his father from the latter's prankster best friend Madhav Mathur (Om Puri). Though Puri is a divorcee, but he is desperate to get married. Both the friends - one widower and the other a divorcee - always look for a bride for Madhav. So, they land up in police custody and Gaurav bails them out.
At this point of time, Gaurav gets prank calls from a girl who turns out to be his old college friend Sheekha Kapoor (Genelia D'souza). Sheekha stays with her guardian Anuradha (Shobana) who is also Paresh's first love.
Gaurav and Sheekha notice changes in behavior of Janaradhan and Anuradha and come to know about their past relationship. Now Akshay wants his father to get married to his lost love.
Gaurav and Sheekha start a journey to arrange his father's love marriage and in the process fall for each other. Interestingly, ACP Bhawani (Archana Puran Singh) always comes across Rane and Mathur around girls in a college and arrests them for indecent behavior.
It is felt that Priyadarshan has borrowed the film idea from his Malayalam script of Ishtam. One pities him for doing this. In other departments too, the movie fails as the Manisha Korde overdoes the punches and many of her dialogues don't come close to decency.
Then, Vidyasagar's music is boring and Ranjit Barot's background score contradicts the mood of the scenes. The performances range from average to ordinary.
While Paresh Rawal invokes humour , Akshaye Khanna is intermittently loud and Genelia carries a constant grin with an apparent accent. Om Puri is reduced to a caricature while Shobna is criminally wasted. And what was Rajpal Yadav doing in this film? Do you know? We don't, though.
A movie has been wasted because of Priyadaeshan's habit of making one even though he needs a vacation for some good time.

Summer 2007

Director: Suhail Tatari

Producer: Atul Pandey Starring: Sikander Kher, Gul Panag, Ashutosh Rana, Sachin Khedekar, Divya Dutta

Screenplay: Ritesh Shah, Bijesh J

Though the movie titled as 'Summer 2007' doesn't directly connect with the plot of the story, but we presume that the director has in view the summer vacation of students during this period. So, he tries to utilize the student vacation period for a social cause. It's usual that the student community moves out of its campus/ hostel during the vacation and their principals directors assign them internship pertaining to their subject of study.
Yes, the summer of 2008 has already commenced but the director may have begun making this film last year, so he has titled it as 'Summer of 2007'. Besides, Mumbai rains are harsh and long enough and prompt everyone to move out of the town during this season. Hence, the director has chosen this season for weaving his story around this time of the year. Anyway, the debut director along with his producer deserves our thanks for choosing a noble story for filming!

The film moves around a group of five medical college students comprising Rahul aka Butter (Sikandar Kher), the group-leader, Qateel aka Kats (Arjan Bajwa) as the Casanova and Bagani aka Bugs (Alekh Sangal) in the form of a despot dude and the munificent Mother T aka Vishaka played by Gul Panag. Incidentally, Sikander had a failed relationship with Priyanka aka Pepsi played by Uvika Chowdhary.
As usual, the college youths plan a vacation to Goa though officially they are assigned to work as interns in a village hospital in Maharashtra. The village is notorious for farmer suicides. The students aren't aware of it until the village doctor Mukya played by Ashutosh Rana brings the piteous plight of the poverty-struck people to them.
Thus, Suhail Tatari has proved his directorial credentials in his first movie itself. First, he chooses a nice plot and then an equally competent cast. Undoubtedly, Ashutosh Rana has performed excellently well, and Sikander Kher has shown his maturity in the craft even during his short filmi span.

Prosshant Narayanan has done well, too, in his role. Gul Panag, Arjan and Uvika have also fared well. Alekh's quest to lose his virginity has been annoying the audience.
Other strengths of the movie are a score by AR Rahman. Though the movie isn't a high profile one, but it has succeeded in its task of infotainment.

Director: Kunnal kohil
Producer: Aditya Chopra , Kunal Kohli
Starring: Saif Ali Khan, Razzak Khan, Mahesh Thakur, Ayushi Burman, Rachit Sidana, Akshat Chopra, Taranna Raja Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Rishi Kapoor, Sharat Saxena, Baby Shriya Sharma
Lyrics: Prasoon Joshi

'Laga Chunri Mein Daag', 'Aaja Nachle' and to an extent 'Tashan' too failing to hit the box office like its other movies the Yash Raj Films is back this time with 'Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic', a children centric subject. Maybe the banner thought of attracting the special audience and not let the school summer vacation go waste this year.
Besides, Yash Raj has repeated the lead pair of its earlier movie 'Ta Ra Rum Pum' - Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee. Not only that Yash Raj Films has even used the same name of Saif Ali's character - Ranbeer - in this movie as in 'Ta Ra Rum Pum'.
The movie's story is somewhat strange inasmuch it revolves around a businessman who accidentally kills a man leaving four kids to survive. The judge punishes Ranbeer (Saif Ali Khan), to look after the deceased's kids or face the prison term.
The children in turn harass the culprit's several relatives who are asked to look after them. They come to Ranbeer's home and meet his striking girlfriend Malaika (Amisha Patel). The latter tries to be friend them, but the kids take an instant dislike to her, who is a kind of vamp; fashionable to the extent of wearing revealing clothes and talking non-stop on the phone!
The children want to revenge their parents' death and aren't happy with Amisha though Ranbeer gels well with bubble-headed Amisha . Then, enters Rishi Kapoor in the sky, painting clouds and holding a meeting with his lady angels.

He entrusts his favorite and most "badtameez pari" Geeta (Rani Mukherji). She arrives on earth to help the kids out, and wins over their hearts. She wins Ranbeer's heart , too. But, being a pari ( fairy) she has to choose either her magical powers or love.
The four children named Akshat Chopra, Shriya Sharma, Rachit Sidana and Ayushi Berman render their roles excellently well ; they act as little adults with problems, confusion and feelings of their own, usually lacking in other movies.
Saif plays impressively, Rani excels all and leads the cast . In fact, she carries the movie on her shoulders. But alas, the actress is made to wear the heaviest clothes, presumably to look like a pari. Her cycling down a rainbow and floating on water are sure feats to elicit shrieks from kids. Amisha is lucky that way and plays a supremely funny character deserving kudos .
Thus, the movie bears the title of 'Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'. Songs like Bulbula where Geeta transforms the moon into a boat and Beete Kal Se that has the fairy and the kids in the museum with a dancing, toothy dinosaur are superbly picturised. However, her asking the kids to imagine participating in a game show where points are awarded for every good deed like a sort of law of karma remains a mystery.

Sandeep Chowta has provided peppy background music. Shankar Ehsaan Loy's music based on Prasoon Joshi's lyrics is excellent. So is Dileep Subramanium's sound designing. Kunal Kohli and Rohena Gera's dialogues are nice too though with few exceptions.
Overall, the movie is worth watching, especially because of Rani Mukherjee's natural performance. Kunal Kohli's direction to a Yash Raj banner movie has indeed succeeded in getting the best performances out of its talented cast though their characters fall much short of freshness in their roles.

Love Story 2050

Director: Harry Baweja

Producer: Pammi Baweja

Starring: Harman Baweja, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani, Archana Puran Singh

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

Love Story 2050' is the debut movie of Harman Baweja, son of well-known director Harry Baweja. This Bollywood kid is starring opposite none other than his real life love Priyanka Chopra. Significantly, its director Harry has taken all pains to launch his dear son's movie with the best music by veteran Anu Malik and the lyrics penned by witty Javed Akhtar.
Consequently, Anu's music to Javed's lyrics is no less than a big extravaganza for the Bollywood audience, as the latter would find it easier, peppier and funkier.
In spite of all this, the director has miserably failed in peeping into the future, the USP of 'Love Story 2050'. The museum scene depicting a dinosaur in the background falls short of the director's imagination in 2050. Well, do you share the director's belief that in 2050, names and dresses of the people will completely change as shown in the movie like Harman then dancing with a hundred chains hanging from his clothes.
According to the movie's story, Karan played by Harman Baweja, a rich man in Sydney, talks to the sky regretting about his dad's lack of affection for his demised mother. So, he takes his dad's favorite car out for a fast spin and destroys it.
Karan then spots a girl named Sanaa (Priyanka Chopra) playing bonding with a butterfly. He follows her around, even pops up on a roller coaster until she agrees to go out with him. Next day, Karan follows her home. Thus, they fall in love!

The lovebirds separate and then reunite with the help of the butterfly. The girl is boring type-mostly busy in writing diary. Incidentally, Dr Yatinder Khanna (Boman Irani) Karan's scientist uncle is found working on a time machine. This very machine transports them into 2050 where Priyanka turns Zayesha, a pop singer who's an antithesis of Sanaa.
Once in love, Saana stops writing songs, turns her bedroom pink and talks non-stop to her robot bear Boo. At the same time, Karan and Dr Khanna come across a lady robot Cutie, who keeps feeding them "chow chow" and insists on calling him `sexy'! Another flow in the movie is that the director Harry Baweja lengthens the film reel and adds an evil Dr Hoshi played by Bollywood's baddie Gulshan Grover called devil's mind (shaitani dimaag). Gulshan follows Dr Khanna for the latter's time machine.
One wonders if it would be just to call it a love story. Yes, Priyanka's beauty, dress, make-up and excellent performance do lend support to the title. 'Love Story 2050' isn't an original story inasmuch as it reminds one of too many films made in the near past. Now, let's analyze the movie's technical aspects. Though the director succeeds in providing a sort of fun through its visual effects, he miserably fails in impressing the audience.
For example, he takes us to Mumbai of 2050 when the town would turn very tall because of its high rise buildings built with a lot of steel coupled with unimaginative and rather dreamy things like offering a trip to the moon, a life-like video game, cars floating in the sky and robot assistants besides providing a life full of super luxuries.

The audience wonders if the city's roads would be smooth enough to travel and free from the floodwater caused by usual torrential rains. Harman's dialogue delivery isn't good either. The cinematography by Kiran Deohans and Vijay Arora and also art direction by Vanita Kumar are superb, though.
On the whole, 'Love Story 2050' fails to compete with 'Jaane Tu Jaane Naa' despite the former's visual effects. We wonder if Priyanka Chopra would be able to shoulder the movie on her own weighty performance.

Mehbooba

Director: Afzal Khan

Producer: Afzal Khan

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Manisha Koirala

Lyrics: Anand Bakshi

'Mehbooba' is an old wine in a new bottle in more than one way. The title isn't new for the Bollywood audience. Not in the distant past, there was a popular song under this name and was found on he lips of most of the people in the Hindi belt.
Though the filmmaker has invested a good sum of money in shooting various picturesque locations in four different countries and also on hiring big stars and famous technicians, it hasn't succeeded in reaching the multiplex audience.
Neither the theme of the plot or nor the characterization has come up to the today's standard. The movie might have clicked fairly well some two decades ago, but not today. In fact, 'Mehbooba' is a mixture of several Hindi movies released in the past.
Yes, we can cite a few movies like 'Saajan', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun'. But, it has miserably failed in hitting today's audience that is well versed with lot of new subjects concerning the people and their struggle in the today's context.
If the movie stays at theaters it would be due to the creditable music by none less than Ismail Darbar though he hasn't charmed the listeners as in the past. Still, his music would certainly prove a hit and be on the audience's lips.
Some of us will watch it because of the comeback of once queen Bee of Bollywood Manisha Koirala. Good that she has returned but alas, she is far from her glorious past in look and performance. She needs a lot of hard work to compete with today's young girls in the fiercely competitive market.

As said earlier, the story is far from modern inasmuch as it's old wine in new bottle. Shravan played by Sanjay Dutt is too fond of everything beautiful, including women, and desires to obtain it at whatever cost.
He desires to possess Varsha played by Manisha Koirala in spite of the latter's contrary wish but succeeds finally in marrying with her by misleading his innocent father. Soon, Varsha gets a shock of her life when Shravan tells her that he wedded her only to bed with her.
Watch the twist in the movie's story. She leaves New York for Budapest where she is known as Payal and meets Karan played by Ajay Devgan . Though the latter loves Payal and dreams of her only is none else than the younger brother of Shravan who has ditched her.
Isn't it an old Bollywood stuff? What will follow is no more a suspense and can be guessed by any movie watcher without scratching his or her head. However, our director Afzal Khan goes forward for no rhyme or reason but to augment the movies close to three hours.
Today's audience wants continuity in the story with suspense left for it to keenly watch in the next reels. Like the old stuff, both the brothers fall in love with the same girl and bet with each other that "meri wali mehbooba will be more beautiful than "teri wali mehbooba"! This is not acceptable in today's context. After all, women aren't decorative pieces to be compared. To say that the two brothers liked the same toy during their childhood doesn't justify the link .

Again, everyone knows that one of the boys will; sacrifice for the other and turn Devdas in his life by indulging in melancholic drinking, and attacking of piano. This is no way to prolong a movie and thus boring the audience.
One shouldn't take them for granted. Anyone leaving a movie half way will give a wrong message to those waiting for the next show.The movie may attract some audience towards its item number on the lines of a mujra. Ismail Darbar's music coupled with Ashok Mehta's cinematography and Javed Siddiqui's dialogues have been excellent, indeed.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na

Director: Abbas Tyrewala

Producer: Aamir Khan,Mansoor Khan

Starring: Imraan Khan, Ganelia, Abbas Tyrewala, Naseruddin Shah, Sohail Khan, Arshad Warsi, Paresh Rawal

Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala

Story Writer: Abbas Tyrewala

A nephew wins over a son. This is the crux of the two movies released this Friday. The nephew of star Aamir Khan, Imraan Khan, mesmerizes his audience with his debut 'Jaane Tu Jaane Naa' with his sexy looks and histrionic skills and thus wins over Harman son of famous director Harry Baweja in the latter's debut 'Love Story 2050'. However, the female stars -- Genelia D'Souza and Priyanka Chopra - opposite the two new heroes in their two movies haven't been new faces and perform excellently well.
In fact, Priyanka Chopra in the Herman's movie carries the movie on her shoulders alone. Both the stories happen to be love stories though quite different from each other. It appears that Imraan Khan has followed in the footsteps of his father Mansoor Khan who launched Aamir Khan in his 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' (QSQT) though Imraan's movie falls far short in respect of script, music and the treatment.
Still, Genelia D'Souza looks good as long as she doesn't speak a dialogue. No sooner she delivers a dialogue than she is exposed. Though it has some comic sequences, but suffers from inconsistency. This flaw in the movie's story is somewhat taken care of by the deftness of debutante director Abbas Tyrewala.

Let's analyze the story that revolves around the central character of Jai Singh Rathod played by Imraan Khan. While Jai aka 'Rats' is by far the most non-violent Rajput (unusual though) hates to pick up fights, bubbly Aditi Mahan aka 'Meow' is quite a violent person. She screams, shouts and brings the whole house down. However, Jai is capable of calming her. Though belonging to two opposite directions, they attract each other.
In spite of their chemistry being the same, they are too good friends to think on such lines. But, soon they realize that this chemistry is nothing but love. In the story, Jai (Karan known as Rotlu) is accompanied by a bunch of three friends -- Alishka (as Bombs), Nirav (as Jiggy) and Sughanda (as Shaleen). All of them play their roles well but disappear later leaving no trace.
While Ratna Pathak Shah and her husband (in real life) Naseerudin Shah are at their best, Jayant Kripalani and Anuradha Patel (as Genelia's parents) are sweet and Ayaz Khan (as Genelia's fiance) leaves an impression.
Paresh Rawal is fantastic (his usual) in a comic role. Alas, Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan hardly have a role to play and therefore disappoint the audience. Hence, everyone in the cast has justified his or her role. The director though a newcomer has fared very well.

The film is good for the young ones who would like to relive their past breezy college times. Besides, its two songs - "Kabhi Kabhi" and "Pappu Can't Dance" are worth remembering. We wish the director had made the second part of the movie as interesting as the first one.
Thus, the movie would have ended with a proper climax unlike the one we find here. Anyway, the movie will not be a loser as it is likely to meet its low cost as compared to that of Herman costing a fortune.

Kismat Konnection

Kismat Konnection

Director: Aziz Mirza Producer: Kumar S Taurani

Starring: Shahid Kapoor,Vidya Balan, Juhi Chawla Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed

Cinematography: Binod Pradhan

Quentin Tarantino, while explaining why he deleted one of the scenes from his 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction said, "It sounds like someone trying to write like me, (rather) than me."
No line could better describe Aziz Mirza's new film Kismat Konnection, which marks his return to direction after a span of nearly five years. It feels like Aziz Mirza trying to make an Aziz Mirza film, which is a pity- for despite their apparent ordinariness, it was the effortless charm and generosity of heart that characterized his previous films that made them so very endearing.
On the face of it, Kismat Konnection has all the trademark themes of an Aziz Mirza film- the struggle of the everyman to survive and succeed, the conflict between morals and ambition, and of course love and romance- why, even the main leads are called Raj and Priya. But while even the rather unsatisfying Chalte Chalte was irresistibly romantic before it became unbearably screechy, that Mirza magic that never failed to connect with us feels strangely amiss here.

The attempt to make everything oh-so-familiar clearly shows from the beginning, and in an emotional scene Shahid almost seems to be unconsciously channeling Shah Rukh Khan, which also makes you yearn for the original Raj- perhaps the only actor who can make doing mush, look like mush.
Shahid Kapur does a decent job but never really manages to come totally into his own, alternating between earnest and trying-too-hard. To be fair, he is an actor who is always easy on the senses- and that sure does help- but the angst of his character never really comes through effectively. Then again, maybe that's also because despite the number of times it is mentioned in the film, Raj never really seems to be 'struggling'. Frankly, if you ask me, he seems having quite a gala time in picturesque Toronto, attractively lensed by the ever-dependable Binod Pradhan.
Vidya Balan, who quite literally plays 'lady-luck' here, could do with some luck herself, or perhaps some better choice of roles and hairdresser/stylist. Her woefully vapid character is a sorry rehash of her roles in Lage Raho Munnabhai and the disastrous Heyy Babyy. The film does absolutely nothing to justify her presence, and it is sad to see the immensely talented actress do little more than well, just look immense

A great supporting cast can often raise a film by many notches (like we saw two weeks back in another rom-com that has since become the flavor of the season), but that doesn't happen here either, as all we see are loud stereotypes playing themselves out here.
Having said all this, it's not as if the film's all that bad- it's never exactly unwatchable, and after seeing most other films this year, trust me when I say I've seen much worse. But a feel-good film should make you feel good, and that's not exactly the emotion I'm feeling right now. Well, well- what can I say, Mr. Mirza, except- better luck next time?