In last one decade or so, there have been multiple films based on Boys’ friendship and almost all of them have been good and successful. Abhishek Kapoor’s last film (Rock On) was also based on a group of four friends in pursuit of excellence in music; a simple story told excellently. This time he picks up yet another story about friends based on Chetan Bhagat’s bestseller third book; “The three mistakes of my life”. Books are always difficult to transcend on silver screen and when it is not the author’s best book, the risk is even more but Abhishek Kapoor manages to do that and so very beautifully!
Set in Gujarat, it’s a story of three friends; Ishaan who is passionate about cricket, Govind who wants to become a big businessman and Omi whose roots fascinate him towards politics. They set up a small sports equipments shop together and start doing well. In the meanwhile, Ishaan finds Ali, a child prodigy in Cricket and whom he aspires to coach into an international player but the destiny has other plans for all of them. The circumstances change and the friends find themselves in the dirty world of religion and politics where they will have different motives in life. Will the friendship prevail in the tough times?
It’s a story which has multiple layers and complexities but the director tells it with an amazing ease and sensibility. It’s an outstanding film that evokes all the emotions without ever being overboard anywhere. The bonding of three friends, their carefree and innocent joyous moments, their struggle to get going in business, their losses during earthquake in 2001, the unimaginable victory in the famous Kolkata test match between India and Australia, and the most unfortunate and sad incidents of riots in 2002 and a sweet and subtle romance between Govind and Ishaan’s sister in between….each and every stage during the journey of their lives is narrated absolutely brilliantly. In a running time of just over 2 hours, the screenplay takes you through so much keeping you beautifully engaged in their world throughout.
But the biggest reason that makes this film work big time is its three lead actors, Rajkumar Yadav, Amit Sadh and the debutant Sushant Singh Rajput. Each one of them delivers an absolute superlative performance; they live their characters. Sushant Singh already has few other big films and looking at this one, he seems all set for superstardom in the coming months. The music of the film is a treat to the ears too, Shubh Aarambh sets the tone, Meethi Boli is nicely choreographed and Maanja is soulful.
In terms of flaws I found only one; that the story has very limited appeal due to its content and the audience looking for escapist commercial masala entertainment will not find it much to their liking.
Continuing the trend started in last couple of years; Abhishek Kapoor too proves that you don’t need brainless comedy, vulgarity or item numbers to make a good film. A new and sensitive story told with its heart and intentions in the right place is more impactful. Cinema Analyst's Take: Very good.Kai Po Che means a call of triumph; the film does just that.
Saturday 23 February 2013
Saturday 9 February 2013
Special 26
Neeraj Pandey had made a fantabulous debut in 2008 with A Wednesday. It was / is one of the finest thrillers with a brilliant mix of entertainment as well as a theme that touched the heart of all the audiences. I had liked it so much that even today, if the film is being aired on TV, I try catching up the outburst of that “Common Man” in the climax. And so it was always going to be interesting and with huge expectations to see what he comes up next with. And while Special 26 is not half as good as A Wednesday, he manages to entertain you with yet another interesting thriller.
As various advertisements and promos have already given away, Special 26 is inspired by few real life incidents in the 80’s. It’s about a team of four conmen who pose as CBI / Income Tax officials raiding few businessmen and politicians all across the country and then smoothly go away with the loot. The team is now getting ready for their biggest heist yet by hiring 26 special youngsters but by now, the real CBI is on their trails. And thus starts a thrilling cat and mouse chase drama between the “fake” and “real” CBI with an engaging suspense as to who will emerge winner in the end.
The film has many things going right for it with the biggest and the best being its story… its new, unique, thrilling and exciting; and the fact that such incidents really happened bring credibility to these outrageously daring daylight robberies. The narrative of story particularly in the last one hour is thoroughly entertaining and keeps you completely hooked on to the proceedings. The film also has few smartly written humorous moments and couple of sequences like Manoj Bajpayee’s meeting with Akshay Kumar in a bar or his interrogating Anupam Kher in hotel are nicely executed. And the best part is its climax which is bound to leave you both amused and thrilled and with a big smile on your face.
But the film also has its share of flaws which spoil the fun to a large extent..…the film starts off well with the conmen’s first fake raid but then moves away to a long romantic love angle with two back to back songs. This seems forced considering the overall context and subject of the film and breaks the momentum of the story. In a film which should have been only about the smart con games, heist and chases, this first one hour goes nowhere really though it comes back on track beautifully after that. Also, I thought that the twist and suspense got predictable little earlier than how and when it ideally should have been.
In terms of performances…earlier Oh My God and now in this one, Akshay Kumar has done well by getting away from his otherwise repetitive brainless comic roles. Anupam Kher is top notch in few sequences and Manoj Bajpayee does complete justice as a strict and focused CBI official. Jimmy Shergill, Rajesh Sharma and Divya Dutta have short roles. Kajal Agarwal’s character wasn’t required in the film and neither was she. Music too neither had any scope in this film nor is it worth listening to.
If only the first half was as exciting and fact paced as the second and the above mentioned flaws weren’t there, this would have been an excellent film. Nonetheless it is still quite enjoyable and worth a watch. Cinema Analyst's Take – Good. Ocean's stopped at 13, Special's start at 26.
As various advertisements and promos have already given away, Special 26 is inspired by few real life incidents in the 80’s. It’s about a team of four conmen who pose as CBI / Income Tax officials raiding few businessmen and politicians all across the country and then smoothly go away with the loot. The team is now getting ready for their biggest heist yet by hiring 26 special youngsters but by now, the real CBI is on their trails. And thus starts a thrilling cat and mouse chase drama between the “fake” and “real” CBI with an engaging suspense as to who will emerge winner in the end.
The film has many things going right for it with the biggest and the best being its story… its new, unique, thrilling and exciting; and the fact that such incidents really happened bring credibility to these outrageously daring daylight robberies. The narrative of story particularly in the last one hour is thoroughly entertaining and keeps you completely hooked on to the proceedings. The film also has few smartly written humorous moments and couple of sequences like Manoj Bajpayee’s meeting with Akshay Kumar in a bar or his interrogating Anupam Kher in hotel are nicely executed. And the best part is its climax which is bound to leave you both amused and thrilled and with a big smile on your face.
But the film also has its share of flaws which spoil the fun to a large extent..…the film starts off well with the conmen’s first fake raid but then moves away to a long romantic love angle with two back to back songs. This seems forced considering the overall context and subject of the film and breaks the momentum of the story. In a film which should have been only about the smart con games, heist and chases, this first one hour goes nowhere really though it comes back on track beautifully after that. Also, I thought that the twist and suspense got predictable little earlier than how and when it ideally should have been.
In terms of performances…earlier Oh My God and now in this one, Akshay Kumar has done well by getting away from his otherwise repetitive brainless comic roles. Anupam Kher is top notch in few sequences and Manoj Bajpayee does complete justice as a strict and focused CBI official. Jimmy Shergill, Rajesh Sharma and Divya Dutta have short roles. Kajal Agarwal’s character wasn’t required in the film and neither was she. Music too neither had any scope in this film nor is it worth listening to.
If only the first half was as exciting and fact paced as the second and the above mentioned flaws weren’t there, this would have been an excellent film. Nonetheless it is still quite enjoyable and worth a watch. Cinema Analyst's Take – Good. Ocean's stopped at 13, Special's start at 26.
Saturday 2 February 2013
Vishwaroop
In Bollywood, every publicity is a good publicity and more often than not, it helps the film in grabbing more attention and success. This one sadly has gotten embroiled in a controversy involving politics and religion and you got to feel for Kamal Hasan for this unfortunate thing. However, after watching it, you will wonder as to what was the reason of banning this film and so much of controversy……it doesn’t have anything that can be called as anti-Muslim. Yes, it’s about terrorism and jihadis and all but that has been shown and seen zillion times in films made all across the world. So, why the fuss now!
The story is based in New York where Wiz (Kamal Hasan) plays a dance teacher. His wife wants to move out of her marriage and she hires a detective to find out something about his husband that can help her. And this investigation then starts the thrilling tale of a terrorist group planning a huge nuclear attack and collective forces of RAW, NYPD and FBI trying to save it.
The film starts off little dull with first fifteen minutes only establishing the characters without giving away their real identities and purposes. But after that, the story picks up pace with an engaging and entertaining first half. Most of the sequences in and around Afghanistan after 9/11 attack are fantastically written and beautifully shot. Also, the bombings and eventual killings of innocent people disturb you and your heart goes out to what would have happened to that country and its people. The build up till the interval point is gripping and sets up an exciting premise.
But it’s the second half when film goes wrong and somewhat off track. The story reaches nowhere, the screenplay becomes way too confusing, few incidents do not join or make sense with the main attack and the way the task force goes about saving the attack is also unconvincing and lacks genuine thrilling moments. The climax is a big let down and is extremely abrupt; while it is deliberately done to leave scope for a sequel, it doesn’t really lead the story to its logical conclusion.
In terms of performances, it is Kamal Hasan’s film all the way and he does complete justice to his character. Rahul Bose as a villain is good at times though you would expect a talented actor like him to be much better. The lead actresses are average with hardly any scope either. Music is nothing to write home about.
If only the story was more consistent, screenplay more clear, jointed and understandable, second half equally thrilling and engaging as first half and the running time twenty minutes shorter than its current length of two and a half hours, this ambitious project of Kamal Hasan would have been much more enjoyable and impactful. Cinema Analyst's Take – Average.
The story is based in New York where Wiz (Kamal Hasan) plays a dance teacher. His wife wants to move out of her marriage and she hires a detective to find out something about his husband that can help her. And this investigation then starts the thrilling tale of a terrorist group planning a huge nuclear attack and collective forces of RAW, NYPD and FBI trying to save it.
The film starts off little dull with first fifteen minutes only establishing the characters without giving away their real identities and purposes. But after that, the story picks up pace with an engaging and entertaining first half. Most of the sequences in and around Afghanistan after 9/11 attack are fantastically written and beautifully shot. Also, the bombings and eventual killings of innocent people disturb you and your heart goes out to what would have happened to that country and its people. The build up till the interval point is gripping and sets up an exciting premise.
But it’s the second half when film goes wrong and somewhat off track. The story reaches nowhere, the screenplay becomes way too confusing, few incidents do not join or make sense with the main attack and the way the task force goes about saving the attack is also unconvincing and lacks genuine thrilling moments. The climax is a big let down and is extremely abrupt; while it is deliberately done to leave scope for a sequel, it doesn’t really lead the story to its logical conclusion.
In terms of performances, it is Kamal Hasan’s film all the way and he does complete justice to his character. Rahul Bose as a villain is good at times though you would expect a talented actor like him to be much better. The lead actresses are average with hardly any scope either. Music is nothing to write home about.
If only the story was more consistent, screenplay more clear, jointed and understandable, second half equally thrilling and engaging as first half and the running time twenty minutes shorter than its current length of two and a half hours, this ambitious project of Kamal Hasan would have been much more enjoyable and impactful. Cinema Analyst's Take – Average.
David
Bejoy Nambiar had made his debut as a director with Shaitan which I had found to be a brilliant thriller. The film wasn’t a big commercial success due to its small star cast but he made same name for himself as a novel and stylish storyteller. His second outing now with a unique title like David and exciting promos had raised expectations for yet another gripping thriller. Sadly, this one comes across as an awful film with hardly anything to appreciate.
The film is about three different stories set in different eras and cities with the main characters sharing the same name, David. The first one is set in 1975 in London where David (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is the right hand man of a mafia king and his quest to find his true identity. The second one is set in 1999 in Mumbai where David (Vinay Virmani) is a wannabe musician whose life changes due to his religion and politics. The third one is set in 2010 in Goa where David (Vikram) is a fisherman looking to find the love of his life.
While on paper, the idea of this multiple stories getting linked only by a common name and a climax looks exciting, their execution on screen as a film is completely disappointing to say the least. None of these stories make any impact whatsoever due to various glaring flaws. While the first one still has something to offer as a story though even that’s very little, the other two are plain silly and irrational. The second one just keeps going on and on without reaching anywhere and not making much of sense even till the end. And the third one is so annoyingly badly written that you wonder as to what were the writers really trying to create here. The stupidity of David as a character, his falling for his friend’s fiancé, side track of his father’s spirit, his conversations with his mother and a friend, a track of Santa…..everything here is actually shockingly absurd. The dialogues of all stories are weird, there is no thrilling moment, few sequences get unintentionally funny and climax is completely stupid and links the stories only for the heck of it. On top of it, the pace of film is agonizingly slow.
In terms of performances, everyone is just about ok….the stories are so boring that you hardly bother about anyone’s performance. If at all, you feel pity about a super talented Tabu who has reduced to playing such insignificant idiotic characters now.
With running time of two and a half hours and a pace that makes it seem double its time, this one is test of your patience and sensibilities. Cinema Analyst's Take – Dreadful And Very Irritatingly Disappointing.
The film is about three different stories set in different eras and cities with the main characters sharing the same name, David. The first one is set in 1975 in London where David (Neil Nitin Mukesh) is the right hand man of a mafia king and his quest to find his true identity. The second one is set in 1999 in Mumbai where David (Vinay Virmani) is a wannabe musician whose life changes due to his religion and politics. The third one is set in 2010 in Goa where David (Vikram) is a fisherman looking to find the love of his life.
While on paper, the idea of this multiple stories getting linked only by a common name and a climax looks exciting, their execution on screen as a film is completely disappointing to say the least. None of these stories make any impact whatsoever due to various glaring flaws. While the first one still has something to offer as a story though even that’s very little, the other two are plain silly and irrational. The second one just keeps going on and on without reaching anywhere and not making much of sense even till the end. And the third one is so annoyingly badly written that you wonder as to what were the writers really trying to create here. The stupidity of David as a character, his falling for his friend’s fiancé, side track of his father’s spirit, his conversations with his mother and a friend, a track of Santa…..everything here is actually shockingly absurd. The dialogues of all stories are weird, there is no thrilling moment, few sequences get unintentionally funny and climax is completely stupid and links the stories only for the heck of it. On top of it, the pace of film is agonizingly slow.
In terms of performances, everyone is just about ok….the stories are so boring that you hardly bother about anyone’s performance. If at all, you feel pity about a super talented Tabu who has reduced to playing such insignificant idiotic characters now.
With running time of two and a half hours and a pace that makes it seem double its time, this one is test of your patience and sensibilities. Cinema Analyst's Take – Dreadful And Very Irritatingly Disappointing.
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