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.
Saturday, 26 January 2013
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.
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.
Sunday, 20 January 2013
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.
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.
Saturday, 5 January 2013
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)