Himmatwala

The film-goers are split into two parts when it comes to remakes, there are people who feel the old classics should not be touched and remade while there are others who feel there is no harm in picking up an old film and remaking it with a fresh angle to it so that young generation can also see it. While both may be right in their own way, I am sure that even this latter group would never understand the need of remake of a film like Himmatwala which was neither a classic nor the best of masala entertainers. Yes it had worked in 1983 but that was then….why is there a need to bring up that kind of story in today’s time. Sajid Khan tries to do that in the name of entertainer and ends up making an unbelievingly ridiculous film. The tag line of the film is “80’s will be back” and after watching this film, you want to ask why, let us remain in current times.

The film is set in 1983 in a village where Shersingh (Mahesh Manjrekar) is ruling over the innocent villagers by his muscle power. There enters Ravi (Ajay Devgn) who had run out of village as a kid but now returns back as angry young man to meet his mother and sister and to avenge the death of his father. He then falls in love with Shersingh’s daughter, sings few songs and fights thirty goons at same time at least ten times. And all this goes on till every possible trick in the name of providing masala is over.

While there is nothing wrong in making a brainless commercial film and I am also all for it but it should at least do what it is made for…..entertain. Himmatwala doesn’t do that even one bit. There is nothing at all that works in this film. The story of a good guy-bad villain is beaten to death, the screenplay is so utterly poor that fifteen minutes into the film and you want to come out, the dialogues are so overly melodramatic that even serious scenes end up becoming unintentionally funny, the jokes are so bad that even Ajay Devgn comments “bad joke” after he has cracked one himself, the songs despite two numbers from original film are hardly hummable, the action gets monotonous coming every fifteen minutes, the humour of Asrani and Paresh Rawal is irritating, the villain who is supposed to be terror to villagers is actually nothing short of a joker, the hero’s sister gets more footage than the heroine, and the entire setting of village, costumes, wigs, is sore to the eyes.

In terms of acting, everyone pitches in with one of the worst performances of their careers. I will be surprised if good actors like Ajay Devgn, Zareena Wahab, Paresh Rawal aren’t embarrassed about their work here. Tamannah makes an utterly forgettable debut in Hindi films, she is neither beautiful nor can act.

Sajid Khan has made utterly stupid, idiotic and nonsensical films in the past too with Housefull 1 and 2 but compared to this one, those would start counting as classics now. This film not only bores you to death but shocks you with its absurdity and leaves you wondering as to how a film like this can be made.

Cinema Analyst's Take – so bad that it will require some “Himmat” for you to sit through this. Its only March but this would easily remain the worst film of this year.

P.S. – There is a song in the film with lyrics “Maaro Bum Pe Laat”. After watching it, you would want to meet Sajid Khan once.

Saheb Biwi aur Gangster returns

The sequels of successful films have become common these days and this trend is now not only restricted to big films but is getting on to small budget and relatively small star cast films too. Not surprisingly then, Tigmanshu Dhulia, who had gotten both critical claim and moderate commercial success with an intriguing thriller in Saheb Biwi aur Gangster, also tries to take that story forward. His last directorial venture Pan Singh Tomar was also acclaimed by one and all and so coming right after that, the expectations from this film are really high.

The film starts from where it had ended in the first part. Saheb (Jimmy Shergill) is now paralyzed and is on a wheelchair though his mind is still cunning and his attitude is still of a Raja. Biwi (Mahie Gill) is now a ruling MLA but has become a recluse and a habitual drunk all the time. The love is lost between the two and they are living on with their frustrated lives. Thus enters the Gangster (Irrfan) in their lives who has two way agenda, to save his love interest (Soha Ali Khan) from getting forcefully married to Saheb and to take revenge of the loss of his family’s empire and lives. And all this leads to a dirty world of love and deceit, friendship and double crossing and power and politics with all the characters trying to manipulate others.

The first hour of the film is somewhat engaging starting with introduction of the main characters and then moving swiftly to establishing their crooked personalities and their deceptive motives. The characters are all grey here changing colours every minute and that is intriguing to watch.

However, just as when the basic premise of story is set up towards being a gripping thriller, the film starts faltering big time. The screenplay after the first hour has so many gaps and flaws that it becomes incomprehensible. The writing of all the characters other than Saheb is completely inconsistent, erratic and confusing leaving you completely at loss on what’s going on and why. While it tries hard to give depth to each character, none of them is fully convincing. On top of it, there are so many sequences that are disjointed and do not make any sense with the main story; the side tracks of Pravesh Rana or four MLAs trying to divide the State are irrelevant. There is an item number too in second half which is in embarrassingly bad taste. And the climax too is abrupt and with hardly any shock value. The only good things in the film come in the form of some smartly written dialogues; Saheb’s scenes bullying everyone and Irrfan’s comic timing particularly with his interview with a minister in his office with his laptop streaming porn.

In terms of performances, Irrfan is good as always. Jimmy Shergill is superb; he has taken to this role brilliantly. But Mahie Gill is so bad in few scenes that it actually becomes unintentionally funny and Soha Ali Khan just exists in the film. The songs are pain to the ears.

The film has its moments but only far and few and the last one hour is just too difficult to understand. With running duration of two and a half hours, it makes for a tiring and somewhat boring watch. Tigmanshu Dhulia fails to come up with a riveting thriller and a befitting sequel to its first edition. It’s a pity considering the potential that this story could have offered. Cinema Analyst's Take – Below average.

The Attacks of 26/11

Breaking news to disbelief to shock to terror to sorrow to anguish to helplessness; I believe all of us went through these emotions during one of the most daring terrorist attacks to our country on that dreadful date of 26/11/2008. An unfortunate and sad incident that left about 160 people dead and more than 250 injured before police and NSG rescued and managed to kill all but one terrorists; an incident that shook the entire country. Enough has read, watched, heard and discussed on this but even today, a mention of this date brings alive those terrorizing moments.

Ram Gopal Varma had also created quite a controversy during that time when he visited the Taj hotel along with then chief minister late Vilasrao Deshmukh because everyone felt that he was doing a survey of the place to make a film on this. While that was denied by him at that time, he has actually come up with a film reconstructing as to what all really happened in that attack.

While you know what to expect in the film, it doesn’t cover the entire episode but only focuses on what transpired in the first few hours of the attack. The events are narrated through the eyes of the JCP of Mumbai (played by Nana Patekar) starting from the terrorists capturing Kuber, entering in Mumbai, their attacks on Leopold café, Taj, CST and Cama Hospital and arrest of Kasab. The film then moves past the eventual successful rescue operation by only stating it and of course, ends with Kasab’s hanging that happened recently.

RGV has managed to get lot of things right in what could have just ended as a documentary. The opening sequence wherein Kuber is captured and the eventual attacks on various places and killings of people have been shot with detailed graphics that actually hit you hard. Few sequences particularly around interval time numb you with shock and sadness and move your heart to what all those innocent people including kids and women would have faced and felt at that moment. Also, the sequences and conversations highlighting how young innocent Pakistanis are being brainwashed into becoming killers in the name of jihad are quite meaningful.

But the film is not without flaws; it is slow paced, covers only some parts of what really was a long fight against terror, tries to look at things through JCP thus subconsciously portraying him as a hero of the film which was undesired, and the long conversations between him and Kasab in the end despite being relevant shift the focus of the film somewhat out of the main issue. It has loads of bloodshed and the scenes depicting the killings are going to be disturbing to watch for lot of people. Also, it lacks entertainment value (which of course could never have been the objective of such a story) and so it means it’ll appeal only to selective people who have the heart and the intent to appreciate such films.

After making absolute duds in Not a love story and Department, RGV hits back some form in this film and manages to take you through that unfortunate incident in a touching way though it could have done so much better.

Cinema Analyst's Take – Above Average. Watch it; If nothing else it will probably make you thank God and value his biggest blessing…..life.

I Me aur Main

With a not-so-catchy title, a debutant director at the helm of affairs, not so encouraging promos showing the hero as man-child; the film hasn’t created much of excitement around it. There are no big expectations from the film and guess what, it lives up to that!!

It’s a story of an uber cool urban guy who is shying away from the vows and commitments. He is selfish, arrogant, and immature and wants to live life his way. He breaks up with his girlfriend who he has impregnated, loses his job and doesn’t have the sympathy of his own sister. But he is least bothered, goes on to woo other girls and makes one more girlfriend who he is now happy and serious with. Will he remain like this or mend his ways and which girlfriend would he finally settle with makes up for the rest of the story.

While this wafer thin story looks bearable on paper, its treatment in the film isn’t. Except for few light moments in the first half, there is nothing in the film that holds your interest. The characters are written badly and they come across behaving weirdly, for instance, John Abraham refusing to pay the money to the milkman of his live-in girlfriend’s house because he doesn’t drink milk! The film is full of such absolute silly scenes. The love angles are so confused about who loves whom and why that you stop bothering about all the characters after few minutes. And the climax in trying to be different and unconventional is so idiotic that you will have to see it to believe it!

In terms of performances, John Abraham looks good but is hardly convincing portraying this embarrassingly written confused character. Chitrangada Singh looks stunning as always though she hardly emotes in this one and Prachi Desai is just about ok. Music is nothing to write home about.

It has running time of just about an hour and three quarters but even this short duration makes it a long, boring and tiring watch. Cinema Analyst's Take – Below average. It’s a non-sense of a film and my list for worst films of the year 2013 starts with this one.

Kai Po Che

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.

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.

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.

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.

Race 2

The director duo of Abbas Mustan have been in the industry for more than 2 decades now and have been making films in only one genre..Entertaining thrillers. Of course not all of their films have been good but Race, which was released way back in 2008, had seen tremendous success and appreciation because of its racy pace, nice plot with ample of twists and turns to keep audience thrilled to the fullest. The makers now come up with next installment of Race trying and expecting to outdo the first one. While the first half meets the expectations, the second half brings it down badly.
The film is about Ranveer Singh (Saif Ali Khan) who wants to take revenge of the murder of his love Sonia and comes to Turkey for that. There he meets Armaan Malik (John Abraham) who is mafia king, his half sister Elina (Deepika Padukone) and his girlfriend (Jacqueline Fernandez). And of course, there is RD (Anil Kapoor) with his fruits and a new secretary (Ameesha Patel). And then starts the tale of friendship, love, deceit, big money and revenge with twists waiting at every corner.
The films starts off very well with an engaging and entertaining first half….brisk and smart introduction of all the characters, beautifully shot exotic locations, exciting casino games, a fine sword sequence, a brilliant chase sequence and a thrilling build up of twists towards the interval. While there are obvious flaws in the narrative, the pace of first hour overshadows it.
But the second half brings the tempo down and narrative strays from a revenge tale to robbery, club fights and few irrelevant scenes. The ease with which robbery of a shroud worth billions takes place is so amateurish that it’s funny. A long fight sequence involving John Abraham, a romantic track of Anil Kapoor, all this seems forced only to increase their footage. The twists also die down here and the ones that come are too predictable. The lack of pace, disjointed story and plenty of flaws in the story in this second hour spoil the fun with a not so thrilling climax.
In terms of performances, Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham are good and they look stylish. Deepika Padukone is at her glamorous best with lot of skin show. Anil Kapoor is ok offering nothing new from last edition and Jacqueline and Ameesha try to do their best which of course remains barely average. Music and choreography of songs is in line with the mood of the film…racy and peppy.
With running time of two and a half hours, the film is little long. And if only the overall story between both halves had remained consistent with edge of the seat thrills, it could have been equally good as the first Race which unfortunately is not the case.
Cinema Analyst's Take – Average. It doesn't bore for most parts but it doesn't have enough to force people to Race towards the multiplexes.

Inkaar

Sexual harassment at workplace is a very critical and relevant subject particularly in today’s times when the entire country is outraged and raising voices against sexism. At the same time, it’s a very sensitive issue and probably that’s the reason why this hasn’t really been touched upon in Indian cinema in the past except for a half baked attempt on it in Aitraaz. But when a filmmaker like Sudhir Mishra who is known for his serious and realist films on socially relevant issues takes it up and makes a film around it, the expectations are bound to go up. Unfortunately, he fails miserably to highlight and make any meaningful sense out of this issue.
The film is about two career oriented professionals in an ad company; Rahul who is CEO of the company and Maya who joins him as an intern but jumps up the corporate ladder fast to reach next only to him. She files a sexual harassment case against Rahul and a penal is formed to find out the truth and the guilty. What follows thereafter is tale of accusations, ambitions, office enmity and dirty politics of corporate culture to outdo each other.
The film starts off well with the director coming to the point almost immediately but then it fast starts losing focus and plot. The harassment incidents stated by Maya are hardly convincing and don’t evoke any empathy towards her. And neither do the explanations and reasoning of Rahul. Narrated by way of multiple flashbacks, the story keeps wandering from love story to sexual harassment to vengeance drama to corporate politics to back to love story but doesn’t really establish anything material in the process. And the culmination to the story is absolutely abrupt, absurd and weird to say the least. What were the writers thinking really?
The only positive of the film is Chitrangada Singh who looks extremely stunning and sensuous. Arjun Rampal is strictly ok.
With running time of more than two hours, the film fails to keep you interested and engaged for most parts and its incomprehensible climax is its biggest downer. A subject that had the potential to be converted into a sensible and meaningful film is treated very amateurishly and foolishly which is a pity. Cinema Analyst's Take – below average. The title of the film is what you need to do to watching this one.

Table No 21

Bollywood opens this New Year’s account with a thriller. While the film lacks big star power and hype, its promos last month caught one’s attention suggesting a new and different story and creating some interest and excitement around it.
The film is about a married couple who wins a free trip to Fiji in a contest. They meet a resort owner there who invites them to play a game which involves answering eight questions truthfully followed by a daring act. The prize money is 21 crores with only one rule… if you lie, you die. The game soon becomes a trap for the couple and what follows then is a thrilling and suspenseful drama.
It’s a novel story and the narrative keeps you engaged for most parts. Once the initial acts are over, you know that it’s not only a game and that builds a good suspense of why is all this happening, how are the couple and their past linked with the game-master and where will this lead to. The climax is also somewhat shocking with a tragic yet extremely meaningful message. However, the film has too many weak points to be a good thriller. While some questions and acts are interesting, some are plain silly and amateurish and none of the acts is thrilling enough to take you to the edge of your seat. Also, once the suspense unfolds, you wonder what was the need for some of the acts because not all come across as relevant to main story. And you don’t connect with the couple’s pain and helplessness during those acts and that too weakens the overall impact.
In terms of performances, Rajeev Khandelwal is good…he comes to the other side of the table this time in playing “Sach ka Samna”. Tena Desae is strictly ok while Paresh Rawal is competent as always.
With running time of less than two hours, the film is definitely not unwatchable because of its unique story, engaging few sequences and a thoughtful message but it remains far from being a brilliant thriller. Cinema Analyst's Take – Average.

Dabangg 2

I hadn’t liked Dabangg…there, I said it. But I know I am in minority and there is no denying that Chulbul Pandey was loved enough to warrant at least one more outing. And so, here comes the sequel at a time when Salmania is at its peak.

The film starts in Kanpur, Pandeyji has made peace with his step father and brother and his wife Rajjo is expecting. In the course of his duty, he comes across Bachcha Bhaiya, a politician cum goon who is ruling the city along with his two brothers and then starts the good cop-bad villain drama and action. Needless to say that we have seen this story zillion times in the past and frankly, no one expects any better story anyways from this film. Also, you can’t help but notice that makers have only tried to imitate the first edition in everything from setting to dialogues to music to dance to action. But despite this imitation, the question is whether it entertains and the answer thankfully is yes, it does, albeit only in parts.

The film is made for Salman Khan and he carries it entirely on his shoulders. His Chulbul Pandey plays completely to the gallery and his mannerisms, jigs, giggles and goggles are all seen before yet likable once more. The camaraderie between him and Vinod Khanna is fantastic and few sequences between them are bound to bring you genuine laughters particularly the prank calls ones. The action sequences are shot well and you wonder how at times you still like one man beating scores of people alone. His entry, shirtless action scenes in climax and his first confrontation with Bachcha Bhaiya are bound to get whistles in single screen theatres.

But the film is not without lot of blemishes with the biggest of them being its weak villain. Prakash Raj, who has been brilliant earlier in Wanted and Singham, doesn’t get a chance to be at his menacing best, the altercations between Chulbul and Bhaiyaji are very few leaving you wanting for more of them and so the climax doesn’t thrill you the way it should. The side track between Arbaz Khan and Mahie Gill is irrelevant to main story, second half doesn’t have light moments like in first half and though the music is good, songs look forced in the narrative with couple of them only for the sake of having them. Also, Fevicol despite being peppy and addictive fails to match Zandu Balm.

In terms of other performances, everyone is strictly ok with Sonakshi Sinha only filling the heroine slot with single expression and multiple songs.

Overall, the film with its nonexistent content remains watchable only because of Salman Khan; I have never seen a mainstream hero enjoying himself so much on the silver screen. And that’s why this almost xerox copy of Dabangg is good enough for his fans to rejoice. For all those who don’t like non-sense, brainless, hardcore commercial masala entertainers, this film offers nothing to change their liking. Cinema Analyst's Take – Average but if you know what to expect from a Salman Khan film, you won’t come back disappointed.

Khiladi 786

One year ago, Himesh Reshamiya met Akshay Kumar in a flight and they started chatting:

AK - Hi HR, why are you looking so upset?

HR - Sir, I want to sing, compose music and act in films.

AK - So?

HR - So this that no film producer is giving me a chance to do all that.

AK – hmmm

After a minute…….

HR – Sir, I have a brilliant idea, why don’t you and I together produce a film wherein I get a chance to do all this.

AK – but why will I produce a film if you have to act in that!

HR – No no Sir, I’ll play second lead (while thinking in his mind, “as it is, who’ll come to watch the film if I play main lead”)…..main hero of film will be you only

AK – hmmm

HR – and we’ll title it something with Khiladi…this was your franchisee Sirji with highest ever number of films made in India on any franchise and you have just left it!! We’ll restart your Khiladi series after so many years Sir; imagine the hysteria it’ll create.

AK – And who’ll play the heroine?

HR – Sir, this year, Asin has given two 100 crore hits in Housefull 2 and Bol Bachchan so we’ll take her

AK – what rubbish, what did Asin do in those two films!!

HR – Sirji, we’ll not make her do anything in our film too, she’ll only fill the heroine slot and bring lady luck to us

AK – but what all is the film about?

HR – Sir, I have an absolutely fresh and new idea….we’ll have you play a goon who cons people by playing a cop but is not able to find a bride, then there would be another goon who is unable to find a groom for his sister and I’ll play a marriage mediator who’ll bring you two together. And this sister will already be in love with another goon with some side track on them too and you’ll try to sacrifice your love for making them meet but then this sister will change her mind and come back to you.

AK – Oh…so it’s a love story

HR – No no Sirji, it’s different. It’ll also have lot of songs composed and sung by me

AK – Oh…so it’s a musical story

HR – No no Sirji, it’s different. We’ll also have your extended family with African grandmother, Indian father, Canadian mother, Chinese Aunty and a lost twin brother too who all will keep on coming in between and speak some dialogues.

AK – Oh…so it’s a family story

HR – No no Sirji, it’s different. We’ll also have some comedians like Johny Lever, Bharti Singh, Sanjay Mishra and Ghuggi who’ll keep on coming in between and speak some dialogues.

AK – Oh…so it’s a comedy story

HR – No no Sirji, it’s different. We’ll also have you knocking down 20 people with one punch.

AK – Oh…so it’s an action story

HR – No no Sirji, it’s different. It’s a multi mega masala entertainer ever.

AK – ok, let’s do it

I wish above had remained my imagination only but this film seems nothing short of result of some such random conversation. Cinema Analyst's Take – Stay away, don’t angry yourself :-)

Life of Pi

I had not heard about this book till last year when I read about Ang Lee making film on this book and his coming to India and selecting Delhi boy Suraj Sharma as the protagonist. It was then that I read about this story of a young boy sailing from India to Canada with his family and how their ship sinks in the water leaving him stranded in the sea on the ship wreck along with a Tiger and how he survives and fights all odds for an unbelievable 227 days.

Its an incredible story narrated incredibly.....the film is actually a visual delight with absolutely spectacular picturisation throughout. The tiger, thunderstorm, sea creatures, sun rise, night in the sea, island in the end.......there are so many sequences shot so well that they'll take your breath away. And use of 3D technology and and its effects are the finest seen in recent times.

In terms of performances, Suraj Sharma delivers a fantastic performance and so does the other hero of the film...the tiger. Irrfan Khan and Tabu are ok.

On flip side, the film takes a while before the adventure on sea starts, its a bit long and despite being engrossed in this survival story, you feel tired towards last half hour.

But these are small blemishes for what is otherwise an inspiring film about tragedy and triumph, sufferings and survival, fear and faith, evil and humanity and above all, about not losing hope.

Cinema Analyst's Take - it's a cinematic pleasure....watch it.

Son of Sardaar

Now I know why Ajay Devgn was so adamant to release this film on Diwali even if it meant taking YRF and JTHJ head on.....it's during Diwali only that people are in such festive and happy spirit that they might just forgive him for making this non sense of a film.
It's the story of a Sardaar who comes back from London to Punjab to sell off some family property only to find out that he has an enemy who is waiting to kill him and only to conveniently fall in love with niece of that enemy. What happens thereafter is brainless and mostly humourless events in the name of comedy.
The film starts off ok with a fast paced introduction of all lead characters, meeting of lead couple in a train with few light moments and remains watchable somehow in the first half. But it's the second half which brings it down big time what with numerous songs, no genuine laughter moments and story going nowhere at all. The romance angle between Ajay and Sonakshi is also half baked and film keeps on moving between love story and revenge drama without any consistent flow. The action sequences are nothing new and are stretched unnecessarily trying to do a Rohit Shetty what with flying cars and humans without similar effect though.
In terms of performances, everyone is just about ok....no one outshines. Salman Khan makes a cameo which even he would lille to forget soon. Music is average and you wish film had at least three songs less.
I am all for keep-your-brain-at-home masala comedy entertainers provided they do what they are supposed to.....entertain. This one doesn't do that except for few sequences in first half which is not enough. For most parts, you laugh not due to comic dialogues, scenes or performances but actually at the silliness of what's going on. Watch it only if you have nothing to do these holidays, you don't like romance flicks and you have taste for anything in the name of comedy. My overall verdict - Below average.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

This is easily the most awaited film of this year for various known reasons. Yash Chopra’s death a few weeks ago making it his last directorial venture; his coming together yet again with Shahrukh Khan; pairing him for the first time with Katrina Kaif; AR Rahman and Gulzar at the helm of music and poetry and above all, the expectations of an epic romance saga on a Diwali day. And while it is never easy for a film to meet such huge expectations, this one manages to reach your heart albeit with few flaws and hiccups.
It is the story of Samar, who while living in London and doing various small time jobs to make ends meet, falls in love with Mira…..only to then get separated from her. He comes back to India and joins army as a bomb diffuser living a lonely life for ten years till he meets a young and bubbly Akira. And then how caught between his past and present, two love ladies and his destiny, he finds his true love again.
While on paper, there isn’t anything new in the story, it is the Late Yash Chopra’s narrative style with many heartwarming scenes that keeps you engaged in it. It’s his direction and complete conviction in his story and characters that despite a silly reason of separation and unbelievable turn of events later on, this tale of true and unconditional love keeps you emotionally attached to it. SRK’s oozing romance, Katrina’s sensuousness in first half and beauty and elegance in second half and Anushka’s vivaciousness add credibility to this love story.
But the film is not without its share of flaws…. as mentioned above the reason of separation of Samar and Mira looks little silly and unbelievable in today’s times, accidents and amnesia look too farfetched, the story drags in between particularly in the second half and the running length of close to three hours seems way too long. The music is also a letdown considering the high standards that AR Rahman has set in last few years.
In terms of performances, SRK is restrained and very convincing. It wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that no one romances better than him on silver screen. Katrina Kaif looks very pretty; watch her sizzle in an absolute stunning solo dance sequence in first half. Anushka Sharma is superb in a relatively small but meaningful role. The cinematography capturing two distinct cities of London and Ladakh is top notch.
Overall, it may not reach the heights of some of his earlier classics but this last film of Yash Chopra still manages to make you believe and fall in love all over again. I am being little generous and biased but for this befitting finale from a legendary filmmaker, my overall verdict – Good.

Luv Shuv tey Chicken Khurana

I have said it in the past too, bollywood is in experimental era and it's working big time. Novel stories narrated differently and interestingly now sell despite lack of any major stars and that's wonderful for genuine cinema lovers.
Set in Punjab with an absolutely authentic and real like characters and situations, the film is about Omi Khurana played by Kunal Kapoor who owes money to underworld in London and with no other choice to pay it back, comes to his family in India where his grandfather used to sell chicken khurana in his dhaba, a dish whose recipe is unknown now. And how his quest to get this recipe which can be sold in the market results in one hilarious situation to another. And topping up this chicken is luv shuv with his childhood sweetheart and some light moments with his ample relatives.
The story on paper looks hardly exciting but it's the treatment by way of multiple Punjabi characters along with very witty and crispy dialogues that make it an interesting and entertaining watch for most parts. All the actors playing various support characters preform very well with the showstopper being the actor playing Mamaji....he manages to bring some genuine laughters out of audience. The music and songs, mostly in background, suit the mood of the film and despite not heard of earlier sound good. The climax is bound to leave you with a big smile.
But there are blemishes too, the biggest being the pace of the film which is way too slow, at times you feel nothing is moving forward. Also, the secret of recipe which had made chicken khurana the most sought after dish looks forced and doesn't appeal much. And the entire setting around punjabis' would lack the universal appeal and liking.
If a new and simple story told hilariously and innovatively satisfies your cinema watching urge, go and watch it, it's good fun. And people liking masala entertainment, big stars and larger than life characters and sets in a film would do well to avoid it.

Cinema Analyst's Take - this chicken served with luv is relishable.

Chakravyuh

All his films may not always succeed completely in what he is trying to convey but there is no denying that Prakash Jha is a brilliant, thought provoking director. In his every film, he picks up a sensitive and socially relevant issue and raises uncomfortable questions on the same by way of an engaging and interesting story around it. This time he takes up a critical and strong subject of naxalism.
The film is about an honest and brave cop who is assigned the task of fighting naxalites and his friend, who he sends amongst them as an informer to catch their leader. And how this friend eventually becomes a rebel himself while living with them and starts counter fighting the police.
While the story about friends turning rivals isn't new, what makes it interesting and different is the backdrop of naxalism that is explored probably for the first time in bollywood. For most of us living in metro cities miles away from terror affected states and districts, the film throws a balanced view on naxals and their victims. While it shows killings of hundreds of innocent policemen and the ruthlessness of naxal on one hands, it also highlights the plight, reasons and circumstances which make common villagers take up guns and law in their hands. And while it doesn't justify their killings and rightly so, it does make you think if the system, government and police are equally responsible for this big internal crisis that our country faces today.
But sadly enough, despite this strong subject, film fails being a hard hitting political drama for various reasons, the biggest being that it raises questions on naxalism but doesn't sustain long enough on them and eventually ends up being a cop and a rebel war only in the end. Also, the circumstances that lead to change of heart for someone who is against the naxals to become one of them aren't highlighted convincingly enough. The running length of two and a half hours, unnecessary songs and a romance angle also bring it down a bit.
In terms of performances, Arjun Rampal gets role of his lifetime and he does complete justice to it, Abhay Deol is as good as always. Cinematography is good and few action sequences are shot beautifully.
All in all a reasonably engaging thriller due to it's new subject but lacks the punch that you would expect a Prakash Jha film to do.

Student of the Year

There is a dialogue in the film where the lead actress's friend tell her....you are confused. This is actually what you would want to tell Karan Johar after watching it.
The film is set in a fantasy school where guys are bare chested and girls barely covered, where uniforms come from designer houses, where good looks seem to be the only admission criteria, and where everything is important except studies. I know it's just a film meant for entertainment but how do you explain the most prestigious competition of a school, student of the year being judged basis a stupid treasure hunt, dancing and running only and where the principal needs to be ridiculed by a loser student before he realizes this or A business tycoon not liking his son because he wants to become a musician and so much so that he actually feels happy to see his son losing the competition or A smart girl unable to decide who she loves between two hunks and so much so that even viewer can't find this out till she marries one of them or two hunks who can't decide for their life whether they are friends or enemies and either ways why!


On positive side, KJo presents all this with super style and at large canvas, all three newcomers look stunning and fresh and preform reasonably good, the music is peppy and few sequences funny. It's a superb launch for new faces but it remains just that.... nothing in substance.

Not entirely unwatchable but far from a good film you would expect out of Karan Johar.








Cinema Analyst's take - this student manages to score just about passing marks.

English Vinglish

It's a golden period for Bollywood and for cinema lovers. Few years ago, who would have thought about making a mainstream film without an established hero, or a film where the lead heroine is an actresses way past her youth making her comeback after 15 long years, or a female director debuting with a maturity and sensibility that most veteran filmmakers don't show all their liv

es, or a film based on a simple story with outstanding impact and entertainment. Welcome to the new exiting period of Bollywood. 
This is the story of a typical middle class housewife who is ridiculed by her husband and kids for her inability to speak English and how the determination to get her self respect back, she learns the language and finds her inner happiness. It's a simple story told beautifully. Each and every sequence is novel and fresh taking you on a journey full of emotions. The screenplay is so engaging that it takes two minutes before you become part of Shashi's life, world and her struggle. There are moments that bring smile on your face and then there are some that bring limp in your throat. It makes you think about small little things that matter in all relationships be it between married couple, or between parents and kids or between strangers becoming friends. And it does that without ever being preachy. And while like all films, you can predict where it's going, you can't but feel joyous and victorious when it ends. 
Sridevi coming back after a while delivers an absolutely superlative performance, probably her best till date. All other supporting actors also do complete justice. In fact, it's one of those rare films that have many supporting characters in the story yet each one of them gets footage and leaves an impact. Music is soothing to ears and cinematography treat to eyes. R. Balki has made couple of different and interesting films in the past but his wife Gauri Shinde debuts with even better and meaningful film. 
Cinema Analyst's Take - it's a little gem of a film, don't miss it. Highly recommended.