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Thursday, June 30, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Double Dhamaal
Cast: Riteish Deshmukh, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi,Kangana Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat, Javed Jaffrey, Aashish Chaudhary, Satish Kaushik, Harry Josh
Director: Indra Kumar
Director Indra Kumar, who started off with films like 'Dil', 'Beta', 'Raja' and 'Ishq', had incorporated dramatic elements in them. However he changed path with 'Dhamaal' though still he couldn't resist the temptation of adding some drama in the climax of that film as well, something that hadn't been accepted whole heartedly. However with 'Double Dhamaal' he steers clear from even a single serious moment and just ensures that the film truly stays true to it's name. Yes, it is abound with gags, rests on slapsticks, spoofs more than a dozen odd movies, scenes and actors, is filled with double entendres and is out and out goofy. But then let the fact be stated this is exactly the kind of flavour that one would have expected from the film in the very first place. It wasn't meant to be a sophisticated take on comedy. Instead, it was supposed to be loud, riotous and absolutely nonsensical in short the kind of genre that one associates with 'Double Dhamaal'. For Riteish, Arshad, Ashish and Javed, the journey continues from where they left in 'Dhamaal'. Conned by Sanjay Dutt, they now want to get even with him. In company of Mallika and Kangna, he is enjoying the best of all worlds. So much so that the dumb and funny quartet plot revenge and try to turn tables on Dutt by taking him for a ride. It is this Tom & Jerry show that ensures that the fun continues till the very end. So whether it is Riteish's constant 'dhamki' of unleashing Sanju's MMS, discovery of an oil field or introduction of a goon (Satish Kaushik) who is trying to take a religious route all of this ensures that one is engaged in the first half. Okay, so it isn't overtly breezy but good dose of slapstick, songs and skin show keep your attention on the screen.
The second half though really picks up well and while there is a brief portion (for around 10-15 minutes) surrounding the 'Oye Oye' song where you feel that the pace is slackening, it is a mere aberration because from that point on till the very end, the graph just continues to build on. The pick of the lot in the entire second half (and in fact the film as a whole) is the 'Gorilla' sequence. Really, if you are willing to unleash the kid in you, chances are you would indeed roll up laughing. This is not all as the entire impersonation act by Arshad Warsi (as a Sardar who is also 'asardar') is terrific and so is Riteish in his twin get up of an Afro-American and a Gujarati businessman. However Ashish Chaudhary's 'Barbara Mori' take off completely falls flat and is more of a put off than fun. Also, the entire 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Guzaarish' dig doesn't work which (as stated earlier) results in a few not-so-engaging moments. However leave these few minutes aside and the fun just doesn't subside. The entire 'Tukaram' sequence is a riot as well and so is the entire 'turning over the tables' episode which ensures that 'Dhamaal' would well be entering into it's third part and even more. Dutt, who chooses to either completely enjoy himself or just sleepwalk in his films these days chooses to do the former here and shows why he is the 'baap' in his age group. Javed does well and enjoys a good screen time for himself. Satish Kaushik brings back his 'Pappu Pager' act from 'Deewana Mastana' and is terrific. Kangna (thankfully) allows herself to be carefree in this film while also coming up with generous skin show. Comparatively Mallika is restrained but shows that she can be the leading heroine material at least in movies of this genre. Music by Anand Raj Anand goes well with the film's mood and doesn't allow one single dull moment. Dialogues are wonderful at most places.
Off late there have been numerous examples when a so-called comedy has fallen flat. Thankfully and fortunately this isn't the case with 'Double Dhamaal'. It makes you laugh, and laugh really-really loud, right through it's two and a half hour duration. In fact there are several scenes that continue to play in your mind long after the film is through. No wonder, it doesn't just do well, it does very well and ends up exceeding expectations. So much so that one doesn't mind giving it a second dekko.Some things never change. Like Indra Kumar’s style of storytelling. From “Dil” in 1990 to “Double Dhamaal” now, the fun never stops…that is , if fun is what you derive out of overgrown boys played by actors ranging from 20 to 50 who repeatedly get hit in their testicles. Ouch!Balls are walls that the script scales to achieve a lowbrow calibre of hectic humour.
This slapstick comedy never escapes the ouch pouch. Cocooned in a juvenile comic mood that takes the characters through a maze of hazily written humour, the narration leaves no pause for any emotion, not even exasperation that bubbles up in you as you watch the antics of the four semi-retarded protagonists, played at various octaves of lunacy by the talented trio of Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi and Javed Jaffrey, plus there’s Ashish Chowdhary, looking a little lost in the maze of amazing comic timing. Chowdhary shows up in the second-half in drag masquerading in siliconed splendour as ‘Barbara Gori’ offering ‘her’ soul and, ahem, body to Sanjay Dutt. Oh, didn’t we tell you? Dutt’s the way we like it. He plays a kind of senior jester in the durbar of drollery. In almost every frame he is flanked by the two beauties Mallika Sherawat and Kangna Ranaut playing his sweetheart and sister, respectively. Feminine comfort swathed in designer ludicrousness. Significantly the two ladies don’t dress in character. They don’t need to. Attired in the best designer gowns carrying the best bags that money can buy they resemble two models who show up at a beauty pageant in a moneyed little hamlet in Gujarat .
The film spares no expenses to look sleek. The characters are either silhouetted by skyscrapers or their equivalent created indoors by set-designers whose concept of lavishness won’t match with what you’ve probably seen in the pages of Home & Interiors magazine. There is no attempt to cohere to any acceptable standards of aesthetics here. As a director Indra Kumar has not made the mistake of evolving over the years.Crude food brings forth a belch of satisfaction from the audience.The sleekness that we see in the songs and dances should not take away from the general rumbustiousness that pervades the plot.
Everyone hams it to the hilt. There is no room for subtlety and nuances. And by the time Arshad Warsi, one of the finest comic talents in our cinema, gets down to promising Dutt he won’t ‘blow’ his ‘job’ we know the writers of this flamboyant farce are happily scraping the bottom of the barrel. Wailing, young female crowds run into multiples of hundred. Because actor Ashish Chaudhary’s just waltzed in. His hair's gelled back. Girls could faint. Graciously, Ashish allows them to touch him, yes, he's for real. He offers them his autograph, lets them click his picture. Cops have to manage the commotion. Fans can't stop screaming.This is not a dream sequence from this movie. Honest to God, it's a scene I witnessed, wide-eyed, at the “world premiere” of this film in Toronto, Canada. Such was the frenzy around Bollywood at this non-resident India, it looked like anything, anyone, even Ashish (whatever his filmography), would do.
We finally walked into Double Dhamaal, the reason for the frenzy outside. I figured Hindi film actors in general, but particularly those in this film, deserved every bit of adulation before their premiere show. In fact, these gents Arshad Warsi, Riteish Deshmukh, Javed Jaffery (and Ashish. Of course) have had to do the kind of things for a living, endure a sort of public embarrassment for entertainment’s sake, they should be entitled to a gallantry award. No less. So should their audience.
If you’ve seen Dhamaal, this film’s reasonably fun prequel (loosely inspired by It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World), you’ll recall, Jaffery plays a UD (under-developed) man-child Manav. He ups the act further in this second part, changing his costume, hamming it up as a moronic kid with Mickey Mouse hair, among other mimicries. The other three actors, Manav’s buddies, double or quadruple up their parts, non-stop for over a couple of hours, impersonating everything from fake gorilla making out with a real one; black polished Caribbean lover boy under a huge Afro; Gujarati businessman with weird teeth; Sikh security guard getting his Punjabi right; Spanish hooker with massive cleavage.... When they’re in their own character, relatively normal selves, they’re supposed to sound like Shatrughan Sinha, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjeev Kumar Truly, this couldn’t be easy. What’s it for but? Frankly. I don’t know. I don’t think they asked either.
The filmmakers were possibly busy scoring a tax-free contract to shoot in Macau. Dialogue writers were giggling over their rhymes in every other line, pun on every second word. The editors were paid to keep their trap shut. Whining women (Kangna Ranaut, Mallika Sherawat) were picked up for pretty posters. Male actors then were naturally left to somehow figure their way through this mess. From what I could tell, despite a piercing headache, this big-ticket pic exists because the said four friends want to become partners in their millionaire nemesis’ (Sanjay Dutt’s) profitable company. These blokes are broke. Their rich archenemy shows them a plot where they’ve discovered oil. These beggars produce Rs 25 lakh, lure an underworld don (Satish Kaushik; sad) to invest several crores in the supposed property. The firm turns out to be fake. The boys are in trouble now. They seek revenge, try to screw their bete noire (Dutt) over, disguising themselves in various parts, hoping to bag some serious bucks off him. For two years before this, these unemployed buddies had been standing at an accident-prone spot, so they could find a crashing car. And? I don't know. Later, they'd hung around a desi theka (a run-down dive), beating poor fellas up, picking their pockets, asking people at the bar to keep an egg in their mouth without breaking its shell. Excuse me? By now you know, a drunken devil’s in the befuddling, brain-dead detail.
It’s sufficient to suggest, there were at least four ‘item songs’ that blasted through my ears one of them called Jalebi Bai that Mallika Sherawat moved to, shortly after a quick jig on Dabanng’s Munni Badnaam Hui. Those South Asian girls in Toronto could practice their Bollywood steps to these tracks. That’s what the hoopla’s roughly about anyway. Some curious Canadians may have entered the premiere to figure the fuss around our pictures still. There were English subtitles, with gentle explanations thrown in as well: “He’s my Godfather, he’s my Nayakan (based on Godfather), Dayavan (based on Godfather)” I’d wager a bet if they sat through even half the flick. Or if most regular folks can.In the times when there are sequels of any and every film irrespective of the original being a hit or a flop, it's but obvious for the filmmakers of the super hit 2007 comedy Dhamaal to come up with its sequel. Now it only remains to be seen whether Double Dhamaal actually doubles up the fun of Dhamaal or not.
The film takes off from the last sequence of Dhamaal. Four dimwit friends Roy (Riteish Deshmukh), Adi (Arshad Warsi), Manav (Jaaved Jaafery) and Boman (Aashish Chawdhry) are back. They are poor, stupid and awaiting quick money. Just then they see their old enemy, the corrupt cop Kabir Nayak (Sanjay Dutt) passing by in his Mercedes and chase him to know how he earned so much money. They enter into his lavish house and see his beautiful wife Kamini (Mallika Sherawat) and sister Kiya (Kangna Ranaut). Green with envy they decide to eat out of Kabir's success and try blackmailing him to make them his business partners. Kabir does that but little do the four jokers know what's in stores for them. As the film proceeds the madness keeps increasing with one incident after another.
You certainly can't expect anything less than double the fun from filmmaker Indra Kumar who's had super hits like Dil, Beta, Ishq or even Dhamaal to his credit. In fact the title itself assures a double whammy. However, what it turns out to be is a shoddy show of lunacy. The film is complete slapstick no brainier and manages to make you laugh in very few places. In a bid to create humor the characters keep hollering on your ear drums consistently with their off-timed buffoonery making you wonder if certain things were even meant to be funny. The first half still manages to earn some guffaws but the predictability of the second makes it fall flat. Some scenes though do make you laugh specially the ones that have Jaaved Jaffery in it. He still as the lisp, retard is very likable and funny. Even the comic scenes of Riteish and Satish Kaushik are good. But what mires them is the tripe and hackneyed plot which works on the clichéd formulas of slapstick comedies. DD tries creating humour taking digs at other films like Taare Zameen Par, Shola and Guzaarish but falls flat in most cases. The mimicry of many actors like Shahrukh, Aamir, Sanjeev Kumar, Dharmendra etc is still funny. Actors like Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi and Aashish Chawdhry fail in their comic timing. Riteish, Javed and Satish Kaushik are decent still. Kangna Ranaut is in bad make-up, bad hair and bad styling throughout the film. Moreover, it's her surgically made-orange lipstick covered huge pout that worsens her appearance all the more. No improvement in dialogues too. Mallika doesn't get much to do but covers up with her scintillating item song Jalebi Bai. Anand Raj Anand's music is average with only Jalebi Bai standing out.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Shaitan
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal,Kalki Koechlin,Shiv Pandit,Rajit Kapoor,Gulshan Devaiya,Kirti Kulhari,Rajat Barmecha
Neil Bhoopalam,Pawan Malhotra,Nikhil Chinnappa,Rukhsar,Abhijeet Deshpande,Raj Kumar Yadav
Director: Bijoy Nambiar
We all subconsciously inhibit our inner demons and in a typical Freudian explanation of human psyche involving the Id, Ego and Superego. We all harbor our twisted thoughts and deviant feelings in the desirous Id which in turn gets suppressed by the moralizing Superego. It's only in the case of few that the regression takes over unleashing the devil within. Debutante filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar terrifically encapsulates this state of mind in his snazzy film Shaitan.
Set in Mumbai, Shaitan is the story of 5 youngsters Amy (Kalki Koechlin), Dash (Shiv Pandit), KC (Gulshan Devaiya), Zubin (Neil Bhoopalam) and Tanya (Kirti Kulhari). Young, intelligent, good looking and 'uber cool'. With no hang ups and no boundaries, excitement is what they seek till an accident changes everything. Enters Arvind Mathur (Rajeev Khandelwal) who is righteous and intolerant towards crime and he is out to bust the. The attempts and actions to cover up the assassination of two people on a scooter lead these five friends through a series of incidents bringing out the inner shaitan in all of them.
Shaitan unabashedly brings in a feast potpourri of emotions, sex, cynicism, danger, drugs suppressed for long in the commercially and socially normative Hindi cinema. It sure is disturbing but since when did facing the insidious, neurotic, inner regression become pleasant? Debutante filmmaker Bejoy Nambiar's plot may certainly not be too ahead of its time. The lives of high-society devious young guns have been tackled in the past too but it's the menacing eccentricity and the nonconformity to the potboiler norms that makes Shaitan devilishly thrilling. It is an edgy film with characters coming up at every turning point keeping the audience glued to their seats.
The story does slack in many points so does the narrative appear far-fetched in some places (read, the entire media fracas surrounding the high profile kidnapping is over the top). Even the duration of the film seems lengthy leaving a room for at least a good 15 minute deduction but what still gets the audience going is the maverick cinematography which is nothing short of a visual treat. Kudos! To cinematographer R Madhi for presenting the new-age cinematic genius. The slow motion accident shot is just mind boggling! Another key point that aides the story line just right is the stupendous background score by Ranjit Barot. It's difficult to ignore the brilliant remix of Dev Anand's Khoya Khoya Chand or the background work during chase sequence of Rajeev Khandelwal and Rajkumar Yadav.
Talk of the acting and all the five actors Kalki, Shiv, Gulshan, Neil and Kirti leave you in awe. Kalki's acting as that of a psychedelic is outstanding. Rajeev Khandelwal as the cop who busts their crime is just perfect. Rajat Barmecha in his cameo is entertaining. The only actor unappealing is Rajkumar Yadav who brings nothing new with him. His acting seems just as that in Love Sex Aur Dhokha and Ragini MMS. To sum it up, Shaitan is blatant, unabashed and impishly pleasing. A must watch for its devilish excellence and cinematic brilliant. You cannot ignore this Shaitan. 'Shaitan' isn't a comfortable film to watch. Yes, there is humour, a lot of it actually, especially in the first half. However you know that somewhere down there in a dark corner, there is danger lurking around. There may be laughs here and there but this is certainly no Riverdale. This isn't an extreme dark alley in a slum either. It is an upmarket setting but just like it happens in a Ram Gopal Varma film where a cost surrounding could suddenly lead to a bloody setting, the same is pretty much the case in 'Shaitan' as well where it takes just one incident to turn around the mood of the film, and in the process bring out the 'shaitan' in you.
At the face value, the storyline of 'Shaitan' is pretty simple. Five youngsters - Kalki Koechlin, Gulshan Devaiya, Neil Bhoopalam, Shiv Pandit and Kirti Kulhari, are living the kind of life which is made of booze, drugs, love and sex with no place for 'dhokha'. Though there are no 'janmon-nama ki kasam' between any of them, a mutual understanding is for all to stick together in thick and thin. Well, until an accident changes it all. In their heart they want to be together but their mind plays around 'shaitani' games that ends up challenges their resolve for good.
This is apparent in the very opening sequence of the film where all characters are introduced as the opening credits start rolling. Watch it for it's pace, shot taking and an overall cutting edge appeal. This isn't where the fun ends. Watch out for the extended sequence where all youngsters get into a road rage and the incident that follows next. The entire Raj Kumar Gupta (playing a junior cop) episode is well laid out too while the series of events that convert an accident (followed by a kidnapping episode) into a high profile case is narrated extremely well as well. The second half is good as well but misses the crispness of the narrative in the first half. The film starts taking the route of a slasher thriller where you know that one after another, most of the characters would be dumped. The 'Kaante' hangover looms large as well where you know that difficult situations would lead to protagonists ending up betraying each other.
Not that the film is bereft of any striking moments in this half. The pre-climax and climax are well laid out as well where Pawan Malhotra (playing a Police Commissioner and natural to the core) has a couple of 'true' conversations with cop Rajeev Khandelwal (who is asked to solve the kidnapping case) explaining the dilemma of the department. However the entire episode involving Rajeev and his wife is completely unwarranted. Yes, their scene in the Court does bring on some laughter but in the bigger scheme of things, the relationship here was best left on the editing table.
What works as a superb ally is music with 'The Sound Of Shaitan', 'Josh', 'O Yaara' and 'Fareeda' accentuating the narrative further. Amongst actors, the ones who stand out are Kalki and Gulshan. Rest assured, they would be seen in many more films from here. Shiv is just okay in a role where he could have done wonders. Neil is good though he was better in 'No One Killed Jessica'. Kirti shows vast improvement over her 'Khichdi The Movie' debut. Rajeev deserved a few more meaty scenes to justify his presence. Rajat Barmecha (of 'Udaan' fame) is 'oh-so-lovable' in a cameo and shows what he is made of.
To think of it, the basic plot isn't the most innovative of all. In a different shape, format and plot with a similar conflict, films like 'Kaante', 'Plan', 'Agyaat' and at least half a dozen more films in recent times have followed the same thread. The kind where friends are together to begin with but are willing to opt out if it makes for a better life ahead. This is where first time director Bijoy Nambiar comes into picture. He creates the kind of atmosphere that lends a unique feel to 'Shaitan'. He makes good use of the technology made available to him and ensures that coupled with an innovative story telling technique, he has a winner in hands. If there were any doubts about 2011 being the year of reckoning for Indian cinema, "Shaitan" with its mounting mood of ricocheting restlessness puts all doubts to rest. The skillful interweaving of strong storytelling and powerful performances is underpinned by a wild sense of humor that shows up at the oddest of places to remind us that cinema is not about following all the punctuation rules of storytelling. It's about knowing when and where to rev up the drama to just that right pitch to carry us into a tripped-out world of hedonism and redemption.
This stunning tale of five misguided youngsters (no relation to Anurag Kashyap's "Paanch" as reported) from the uppercrust displays a flair for unleashing an energy that leaves us breathless with anticipation. It's tough to keep up with the film's unbridled zest for momentum. From the opening montage showing poignant scenes from Kalki's childhood with her troubled mother to the dying moments when the five protagonists are rendered either dead or damned or both, this work of pop-art just sweeps you into its furious folds of angst and anxiety. First-time director Bejoy Nambiar doesn't waste time in introducing the characters. We know them almost instantaneously.
A huge USP in many recent films set in the madness of the urban jungle is the raw energy of the outdoor locations. "Shaitan" assails you with the tension and the anxiety of people on the run. The camera is never inattentive. The street scenes and the sound-design are absolutely brilliant. With devilish dexterity, we are taken into the homes, minds and fetishes of the five youngsters. In the first 25 minutes, Nambiar constructs a cool case study for the young quintet's self-destruction. Then he watches the trendy fund-flush world of designer labels and other costly indulgences come apart at the seams. Some of the scenes are deliberately designed to exude the terror of over-indulgence. Fortunately, most of the pay-off happens almost of its own volition. "Shaitan" is a morality tale with a gut-wrenching twist. It dares to venture into the psychedelic world of the affluent urban young and then rips the veil of ecstasy apart to reveal the emptiness that defines every life lived on the edge of extravagance. Miraculously, "Shaitan" is a morality-tale that doesn't moralist. It creates a world of self-destructive pleasure pursuits but doesn't sit judgement on that world.
Nambiar gets terrific support from his cinematographer (R. Madhi) and editor (Sreekar Prasad) in creating a world that is cinematic and dramatic and yet real enough. Comparing Nambiar's style of storytelling to Quentin Tarantino, Guy Ritchie or Nambiar's mentor Mani Ratnam or Anurag Kashyap would be as self-defeating as comparing "Shaitan" to the other recent films on the young and the doomed. Namibia creates his own world where the quirky and collapsible are constantly jostling for attention. The narrative is loose-limned, yet never flabby or self-indulgent. The film exudes the unbridled energy of a rock song but doesn't forget to include a melodic underbelly in its com positional range. The madly idealistic cop's (Rajeev Khandelwal) disintegrating marriage to a woman (Sheetal Menon) who just won't talk remarkably creates a space for itself in the stifling bustle of this film's main action.
A special word for debutants Shiv Pandit, Gulshan Devaiya, and semi-newcomers Neil Bhoopalam, Kalki Koechlin (her malice in blunder land act is haunting) and Raj Kumar Yadav the "Ragini MMS" hero in top form here as corrupt cop. Also Pavan Malhotra as a senior police officer. As for Rajiv Khandelwal as a twisted cynical successor to Amitabh Bachchan' angry cop from "Zanjeer", this is a skilled actor with ample star-potential. "Shaitan" is a work of many virtues about the myriad vices that plague the life of the young and the rich. It doesn't preach. It doesn't use Hindi abuse words for effect. And the camera chooses to focus on sagging moral values rather than heaving breasts.
The music blends into the volatile theme. There is a quaint remix of the Dev Anand-Mohd Rafi-S.D. Burman classic "Khoya Khoya Chand" as an ironical homage to the independence that the past generation fought for, and got. "Shaitan" looks at the sub-zero level of moral values among a section of the urban young with a whimsical zest for a new kind of cinematic voice that is far removed from films about cops and desperado that we've come to know over the years. This is a defining moment in Indian cinema.
Love Express
Cast: Sahil Mehta,Vikas Katyal,Mannat Ravi,Priyum Galav,Om Puri
Director: Sunny Bhambani
God and Subhash Ghai know that the film industry needs new talent. It is, therefore, heartening to see Ghai patronise newcomers. Sadly, "Love Express" is an uninspired vehicle to accommodate new talents. Everyone connected with this rather touchingly disoriented low-budget romantic comedy set in 'speeding' train, is untried and eager to make an impression. The amateurishness of presentation is in some ways, a sign of burgeoning talent. The students of Ghai's acting school seem in search of their bearings. And that's what makes them so endearing.
The set representing the chugging train is quickly filled up with a wedding party, assorted uncles and aunts, nieces, nephews and oddball characters who burst in pop-bhangra songs as though they are auditioning for India's Most Flaunted. The characters revel in their loud quirkiness because that's the way a Punjabi wedding entourage is expected to behave. Subtlety or whatever we may call any attempt to infuse an aesthetic restraint to a film about wedding revelry, is at a low premium here. The debutant director has a grip over his characters but not much of an idea as to how to package them in any way that appears innovative.
The two newcomers playing the reluctant bride and the groom struggle with lines that try hard to replicate the trendy cynicism of today's wannabe-cool brigade. The small-town social climbers with their fake designer bags and borrowed accents were far more palpably credible in Aanand Kumar's "Tanu Weds Manu". "Love Express" expresses neither a love for the small-town milieu that it tries to pack into a train of caricatural characters, nor does it display any fluidity in its narration.
The actors possess no wherewithal to make the loud caricatural characters spoofy in their flamboyance. At the most, we can smile indulgently at the new talent that Subhash Ghai's film school throws forward. Decades ago Ghai acted in a film Umang about youthful aspirations. "Love Express" makes you wonder what these young guns really want. Right from the plot which tries fitting into the genre of films like 'Tanu Weds Manu' or 'Jab We Met' to the overall treatment, there is formulaic approach written all over 'Love Express. Nothing wrong with that but only as long as the formula is used appropriately. In case of 'Love Express', debutant director Sunny Bhambani doesn't get it right, hence resulting in a film which starts and finishes without involving you even once. This is where the film falters as well as there isn't any grip on the proceedings.
Boy (Sunny Bhambani) and girl (Mannat Ravi) are packed off in a train even as their relatives are celebrating their impending marriage. Of course they don't want it but the trouble is to convince their parents. How they try various tricks to separate from each other and in the process only end up falling in love results in a predictable end to story that hangs on a thin plot. Well, nothing wrong with a thin plot as long as there are enough ingredients to make the proceedings interesting. Unfortunately though this doesn't quite happen in 'Love Express' which has a few engaging but inconsistently spread hilarious moments. Of course the man who contributes to most of the smiles (and at a couple of places even full throated laughter) is Om Puri as the loveable 'dadaji'. However that is not good enough for audience to indeed empathise with the characters who just don't manage to put enough 'jaan' into the narrative.
Now that's indeed a pity because the film's plot had enough scope for ample fun moments to be interspersed with the narrative. Road movies bring with them the kind of setting where ensemble characters can come in close proximity, hence resulting in hilarious situations. Unfortunately though what one sees in 'Love Express' is sheer caricature of Punjabi characters with everyone seen as singing and dancing and being loud at the drop of the hat. Even performance wise the film is just about okay with Sahil Mehta and Mannat Ravi being decent though not striking enough to win your heart. Vikas Katyal and Priyum Galav too just about pass muster though (expectedly) Om Puri is what makes the film reasonably tolerable. There is a horde of character artists in the film and they basically just about fill in the blanks.
Film's production values are just about average though music is decent. However one can well sense that Subhash Ghai, who presents the film, wasn't too confident about the film either due to which there has been absolutely no zing in the promotion. Also, fate of some films is decided after the release of the first poster and the first promo itself. 'Love Express' is one such film. Right from the way the film looked to the way the characters interacted with each other to the wannabe 'we are Punjabis, join us in all the fun' mood that it aimed at creating, 'Love Express' was just not happening when the First Look came out.
No wonder, when the makers couldn't stuff anything exciting in those two minutes, it was rest assured that holding a grip in those two hours would be a mighty challenging task as well.
A Strange Love Story
Cast: Riya Sen, Eddie Seth, Ashutosh Rana, Yashpal Sharma,
Milind Gunaji, Raj Zutshi, Snehal Dhabi, Gunjan Bakshi, Ehsaan Khan
Director: Tarique Khan, Sahil Seth
It is surprising to see that a film like 'A Strange Love Story' can actually be commissioned to move ahead from scripting to final execution. One can understand the actors to be consenting to play their respective roles since they are getting to play the lead protagonists when nothing much is happening in their professional career. However for someone to actually finance a film like this which doesn't really promise much when it comes to entertainment, it is nothing but really strange.
Riya Sen is a young Goan girl who comes close contact with an absolute stranger (Eddie Seth). They fall in love and suddenly there are 'jeena marna tere sang' kind of 'kasamein' being spoken around. A murder (of Raj Zutshi) happens in the interim and all evidences point at Ria. However a Crime Branch officer (Ashutosh Rana) feels that both Riya as well as Eddie are innocent. He packs them off to Simla but strange things start happening to the young couple as they start getting visions and presence of spirits all around them. How the mystery is solved and this love story comes to its culmination is the strangest part of this enterprise.
The film never makes up it's mind if it wants to be a horror, supernatural or a love story. Picture this. Eddie gets a call from his dad who conveys to him a shocking truth. However when he passes on the message to Riya, he does so while sipping his coffee as if he was reading the morning newspaper. Later when the spirit comes right in front of them and even goes on to possess Riya's body, everyone just stands there without any reactions whatsoever. Next day morning it is all business as usual all over again as if nothing had happened. This isn't all. Worse is reserved for the end when the spirit decides to leave the duo without much ado. This is where the entire drama just fizzles out and the entire film seems like an exercise in futility.
There are numerous incidents like these which end up killing whatever little impact that the first half of the film had made. Since you watch the film with zero expectations, you don't quite mind the entire build up around the suspense. Riya's visions, warnings from strangers, Ashutosh Rana's strange behaviour, presence of the surreal all of it actually manages to contribute in creating an environment of intrigue. However the motive (when revealed) turns out to be so 'strange' as well as poorly written that you end up wondering if the script was being written on the sets.
Film's cinematography is below average and seems to be suited for a TV serial. Background music is decent. Music though is decent with 'Nede Nede' being the pick of the lot. Acting is uniformly below par with Riya Sen looking good but just not managing to keep her head high in the emotional scenes. Ashutosh Rana is good when playing natural but the moment he is required to go through dramatics, he isn't impressive. Eddie is just not the one whom you want to see again as a leading man. Supporting actors (Raj Zutshi, Yashpal Sharma, Milind Gunaji, Snehal Dabbi) too barely manage to pass muster.
'A Strange Love Story' is indeed a strange film. You keep wondering right through the film what is it trying to convey. Unfortunately even when the suspense is revealed, you are left wondering what exactly was the entire hullabaloo about. There is a semblance of a 'story' but the 'love' element doesn't quite come out well. Yes, it is 'strange' for sure. Nothing is stable in Bollywood and life surely comes a full circle here. What else can you say to the fact that the man who launched Salman Khan is now launching his own son that too against Salman Khan only? Yes, filmmaker Suresh Bhagat who launched the superstar Salman Khan in Biwi Ho Toh Aisi back in 1988 is now pitting the debut vehicle of his son Eddie Seth starrer A Strange Love Story against Salman's Ready this week. Now it remains to see whether Eddie too turns out to be star material or not.
A Strange Love Story as the title suggests is indeed a very strange film too. The film revolves around a couple Kabir (Eddie Seth) and Jennifer (Riya Sen) who get entangled in a murder case with a cop Iqbal (Ashutosh Rana) scheming them right into it. It later turns out that Iqbal is a Jinnat by that we mean a spirit and is in love with Jennifer too! Weren't human love triangles enough in Bollywood? As the time passes by the film keeps turning from bad to worse. So there's a murder mystery, a haunting spirit, romance and comedy (unintentional of course). In a clear case of too many cooks spoiling the broth, A Strange Love Story also takes serious beating in the story courtesy two debutante directors Tarique and Sahil Seth trying to bring in some direction in the film. It totally runs on two different tracks. At times it turns out as a thriller while at times a horror. Much to the irritation of the audience, neither horror nor the thriller makes sense.
The story moves in chunks and gets increasingly slow paced. The episodes aren't only shoddily placed but are also shot with tacky production value. What makes this film crumble even more is the mediocre acting. While Riya Sen is emotion less and dubbed throughout, debutante actor Eddie Seth shows no acting skills whatsoever. He is not only taut but needs serious help in screen presence. Wish if his father's money could better be used in taking acting training first than in having a full fledged film itself. The surprising element is the presence of Ashutosh Rana. Wonder what made him take up such a senseless film. The little said about music, editing, cinematography the better. There seems no effort put in either.
Ready
Cast: Salman Khan, Asin,Arya Babbar,Paresh Rawal,Mahesh Manjrekar, Akhilendra Mishra, Puneet Issar, Manoj Joshi,Anuradha Patel, Sudesh Lehri,Manoj Pahwa,Sharat Saxena, Nikitin Dheer,Arbaaz Khan, Zarine Khan, Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Kangna Ranaut,Gargi Patel,Eva Grover,Hemant Pandey, Mithilesh Chaturvedi, Jaswinder Gardner, Shilpa Mehta,Prachee Pathak, Pravina Deshpande, Kiran Ahuja, Rajiv Kachroo,Shalini Sahuta, Mohit Baghel,Kubraa Sait
Director: Anees Bazme
As expected, 'Ready' turns out to be the kind of a film which is all about 'masala' ingredients that are packed in just the right proportions during those two and a half hours. A story that could have been stretched for 30 more minutes or wrapped up 20 minutes earlier, it gives what one was waiting for a long time when it came to movie watching for an entire family 'Some real good entertainment'. A case of mistaken identity brings Asin in the life of Salman who stays with his joint family made of millionaires. Asin too comes from a family of millionaires but there is trouble in paradise as her uncles want to usurp her wealth. Oblivious to them, Prem starts getting closer to their respective families with his own near and dear ones ensuring that Asin's uncles leave their 'mafia giri' aside and start living life like normal people. In this entire series of events, there is a CA (Paresh Rawal) and a stranger Romeo (Sudesh Lehri) who get involved as well.
As one expects from a storyline like this, all is well eventually. However there is a lot of comedy, drama, emotions and action involved, something that Salman truly justifies just before the interval when he tells Asin 'What would we tell our kids if there are none of these 'masala' ingredients in our love story?'So 'masala' one does get with everything from 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' to 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' to even 'Hero No. 1' coming together in the right mix to pep up this affair. While the film's beginning portions are exactly like 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' and 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', the second half of the film, where Salman takes it upon himself to unite the family and bring kids on the right path, is straight out of what Govinda did in 'Hero No. 1'.
The film takes a mass route throughout but that doesn't mean that there isn't anything for the class audience. I witnessed it myself while watching a packed show with family audience at a premium multiplex on Friday evening and the reactions said it all. This is not all as the complaints that some have around the first half aren't much justified either. Based on what I saw, audience were thoroughly enjoying both the halves with laughter coming in on a more or less continuous note. Expectantly, Salman is what stays constant right through the film even as other characters surround him from all ends. One can sense the kind of renewed confidence that he has in himself and this is the reason why he can afford to commit a murder and get away with that. Asin is easy on eyes and comes up with a natural act. She looks million bucks in 'Dhinka Chika' though one doesn't see much of her in the second half. Paresh Rawal and Sudesh Lahiri are fantastic though one wishes there was more of Manoj Joshi.
Music is fantastic with 'Dhinka Chika' (in both the India as well as Bangkok version) as well as 'Character Dheela' are fun. Action is in small doses though one wouldn't have minded if it was longer, especially the climax sequence involving auto rickshaws which just ends abruptly. It isn't always an easy task to remake a film, especially the one which has been a successful venture. You do it right and you end up getting no credit whatsoever as it is said to be 'way too easy'. You do it wrong and all the flak comes you way as you are accused of not being able to manage even a successful formula. Thankfully for the audience, Anees Bazmee doesn't forget any of these facts while also ensuring that he maintains his own identity. An out and out entertainer that doesn't let the audience engagement slip away for even five minutes, 'Ready' is fun and clean film that gives exactly what one expected out of it.It's a daunting task for any reviewer to assess a Salman Khan film. After all, he/she may either earn flak from the Salman fans or would hold no worth. The ones who like him will definitely go for it whether the review is in favor or not. That's the magnanimity of the star power riding on Salman Khan; a case in which assessment of story line, screenplay, editing or cinematography doesn't count.
Prem (Salman Khan) has a happy giant family where as Sanjana, an orphan lands in India to be with her mamas (Sharat Saxena, Akhilendra Mishra), who are greedy and want to usurp her property. Sanjana in the garb of Pooja gets into Prem's family and the two falls in love with each other. Enters a major problem, Sanjana's mamas are at constant loggerheads with each other and want Sanjana to marry their respective brother in laws in order to acquire her property. How Prem manages to win over Sanjana and brings the two sworn brothers together forms the rest of the plot.
Right from its first promo itself, it's clear that filmmaker Anees Bazmee is trying hard to encash Salman's success of Dabangg. And the way the songs Dhinka Chika and Character Dheela have become a rage, one surely expects another masala potboiler from Ready. However, within a couple of minute into the film you know you're in for a major let down. The entire film reeks of clichéd dialogues and story line of his past films. Worse still, of flops like No Problem and Thank You! Anees once again comes up with leave your brains at home kind of comedy. So while Ready has the typical "hanging by the cliff" scene reminiscent of No Entry, the dialogue aided by Salman on being asked what is he doing there is "just hanging around!" Ready also has the same old don connection used earlier in Welcome. If only dragging audience to the theatre was enough Anees! The filmmaker surely has lost touch of making decent films and should take to a long sabbatical before he plans another debacle.
Another sore point is the loud-mouthed badly written dialogues say for example, "Main kutta hoon yeh kutiya hai!" Even the dialogue "Life mein kabhi teen cheese ko underestimate mat karna I, Me And Myself" has been painfully inserted with a desperate attempt to make it click. There's also a bare-chested scene of Salman, obviously to give the aam junta their money's worth. With the kind of efforts Salman is putting in promoting this film, wonder what even 10 per cent of that into acting would've done for the film. Salman is not only taut throughout but also hamming. Blame it on the director who couldn't extract much from his actor as Salman did put up a decent show in his last two hits Wanted and Dabangg. Asin barely gets much to do. An ensemble cast of Mahesh Manjrekar, Paresh Rawal, Sharat Saxena, Akhilendra Mishra, Aarya Babbar, Puneet Issar, and Manoj Joshi among others compete with each other in hamming. Music apart from Dhinka Chika and Character Dheela is very dheela. Editor Ritesh Soni probably slept off at the editing table as there remain too many scenes that could easily be chopped off. At least a small length of the film would've reduced the agitation.
The few things that work in the film are the paisa vasool fight sequence of Salman, his pocket-fiddling dance steps or his character dheela moves. Even some repartee between Salman and Paresh Rawal are quite humorous. She's a runaway bride. He's a runaway rogue, a little rough around the edges but a good heated lovable soul. Salman Khan can play this character over and over again with his eyes closed. In "Ready" he is back to playing the lover-boy clown.
"Mr. Fix-it" and "Ms Hum Apke Hain Conwoman" flirt and get naughty in exotic locations. They don't generate chemistry. They are just being around. Jeez, these two never tire of saying cheese! And when the going gets cheesy there's always the family to fall back on. There are three families, living in homes that appear to have been built to accommodate over-sized families. The setting is almost laughably anachronistic. Salman Khan and his director Anees Bazmi pay a hefty comic homage to "Hum Aapke Hain Koun". The Salman-Asin romance unfolds against the backdrop of a commodious joint family where every family-member seems determined to have a good time even at the expense of good taste.
True, Asin lacks the gamine charm of Madhuri Dixit. But then the Salman Khan in "Ready" is not quite the Salman Khan from "Hum Aaapke Hain Koun". He hasn't aged. He's just become more smug and self-confident. Many times we catch him looking bored on camera. But that is this iconic star's style statement. When you are Salman Khan you can slip out of a character when you want. No one is complaining. Bazmi's script, a shoot off of a Telugu hit, accommodates more characters than Goa during the tourist season.
Every character is over-dressed and over-the-top. Then men are constantly looking for reasons to say goofy corny things to one another. That's the required mood of this "panga-'mirth'-lena" comedy with an attitude that stretches from one end of the lengthy narration to the other with hardly a break for the plot to gather together its thoughts. Bazmi keeps the proceedings neatly on the side of good taste. Innuendos are avoided, and partly so because Salman has an image of the good-bad boy. He never offends refined sensibilities with his wildly bratty antics, though he never shows any inclination to be one of those refined types himself.
He is happy being human in a way only Salman Khan can be. He gets able support from some solid performers like Akhilendra Mishra, Sharad Saxena, Manoj Pahwa, television comedian Sudesh Lehri and Mahesh Manjrekar whose hilarious act as Salman's dad is lifted from Sanjay Chhel's "Khubsoorat". Strangely the women performers are all vapid to the point of seeming sedated. This is a men's comedy with women welcome to join the fun. But nobody minds. And not because this is a mindless comedy. The quality of the gags is often higher than what we usually get in Bollywood comedies. But the film suffers from an overloaded narration.
There is too much effort to cram in "entertainment" at every possible level. There is also a rather lame attempt to define the status of women in feudal households. But the attempt is so hurried and cursory, it's almost farcical. Replete with tongue-in-cheek references to many earlier blockbusters including Sooraj Barjatya's "Hum Aapke Hain Koun", "Ready" is like one of those familiar tunes sung to a new set of lyrics that you may not approve of but you empathize with because it offers the comfort of the familiar. Having said that, the film, it must be confessed, doesn't really offer even die hard Salman fans the fun-quotient expected from the mega-star. Too many people colonies this domestic comedy. Boisterous uncles, over-dressed aunties, under-intellectualized gangsters and irksome henchmen are all greedy to be noticed. The trouble is, they aren't doing anything that is terribly exciting or engaging, except playing the foil to the star of the show.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
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