Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic - All Predictable and Ok Flick.

A Predictable “Thoda Ok Thoda Theek” movie.

Kunal Kohli’s latest venture is exactly on the lines of its title, that means “Everything Thoda Thoda”. The film has all the elements of love, emotion, fun and children playing pranks on elders. But everything is completely predictable and average as far as entertainment is concerned.

The film only manages to amuse to some extent and that also mainly to the people who are there for time pass. If you are looking for some novelty and innovative direction in the movie then you are sure to get disappointed.

A fairy is sent from GOD in order to help the children on earth who have problems with their guardian appointed by the court. The GOD is played by Rishi Kapoor who looks cute. And the concept of fairy is used to incorporate the magic elements in the movie. But the magic sequences have nothing impressive and the writer could have done even without the concept of fairy. The plot looks like wasted in the narration. Moreover the fairy also has a strange Punjabi ascent which looks weird. Nowadays whole Bollywood is having a heavy punjab influence in its latest projects.

Rani Mukherjee seems to be enjoying her role but fails to make an impact. Saif Ali Khan just plays his character and it looks like he lost the interest in the movie in mid way. Amisha Patel plays a modern unintelligent girl who is short of clothes. And she looks desperate to catch attention. Only the four children are a treat to watch, specially the child playing the role of Sikh Kid “Iqbal”. He has got the majority of punch lines and impresses a lot. Still the sequences with the kids are not such that you can remember them walking out of the hall.

The weakest section of the movie is its music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. It’s one of the most unimpressive work from the trio with not even a single melodious song. This project needed some special children songs which were found missing. Special Effects are uncomplicated and are not used in excess which is intelligent thinking by the director.

Kunal Kohli, the director follows his own passion of influences from the west. This time his movie has the hangover of “Marry Poppins”, “The Sound Of Music”, “City Of Angels” and may be more. His “Hum-Tum” was influenced by “When Harry Met Sally” and interestingly a poster of this english flick can be spotted in one scene when Rishi Kapoor is talking to Rani in the climax. I think this was deliberately done by Kunal.

All one can say is that its an Ok movie, with a simple look and has nothing special to talk about. Something extraordinary was expected from Kunal Kohli but sadly it was not there.

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Via Darjeeling - A modernised “Rashomon”

An Experiment gone haywire.

There are already a very small number of viewers of such experimental kind of cinema. So it’s a responsibility for the directors to come up with nice and appreciable projects which are capable of bringing more viewers to this genre.

But director Arindam Nandy’s “Via Darjeeling” is not entertaining and enlightening enough to impress. Despite of its talented star cast and an interesting plot it fails to win over the viewers with its content.

The storyline revolves around a group of friends who are discussing a mystery and giving their own versions of the happening which may have occurred according to them. But after a good start as each of them start giving their viewpoint the plot gets disturbed and seems to be confused in its own web.

Moreover the most annoying part comes when the film ends abruptly. Climax with many possibilities is acceptable but when the movie ends suddenly without any justification then its looks like deliberately done to give it an offbeat perspective.

Performances wise Kay Kay and Vinay Pathak are fine as always. Proshanth Narayanan and Sandhya Mrudal excel. The rest are all there but nothing extraordinary to showcase. Sonali Kulkarni looks ravishing, Parvin Dabbas,  Simone Singh and Rajat Kapoor are ok.

One interesting observation. The movie has a subject very similar to Kurosawa’s “RASHOMON”. Infact it’s a modernized version of the Black & White movie and in one scene Rajat Kapoor can be seen holding the DVD of this classic in his hand. May be it’s the director’s way of giving tribute to the master film-maker.

Rating : 1.5 / 5

Sarkar Raj - Only Innovative Camera Angles and Lighting doesn’t mean an entertaining movie.

A huge sea of expectations was on high tides before the release of “Sarkar Raj” and many RGV fans were sure of a grand comeback by the master film-maker. But I had my doubts with me as I entered the cinema.

Sometimes a period of lazy creativeness is seen in the works of the masters. I noticed this kind of phase in the life span of many creative geniuses who made some not so good movies in the middle of their careers. And later came back with some greater masterpieces even better than their first ones. As I see it RGV also seems to be going through that phase in his life. He is no doubt a self-made genius of his own kind but sadly couldn’t make an impressive comeback with Sarkar Raj. 

The movie is dark, slow and the only knock out moment in the movie is in the last 20 minutes as the mystery unfolds and the real culprit comes out of the curtain. What I found most displeasing in the movie is the overuse of innovative camera angles and the excess of dark lighting in the whole movie. The subject no doubt needed this kind of treatment but it goes over the limits as you watch this sequel of Sarkar. It’s an intense crime drama with powerful performances but unfortunately the script is not able to entertain the viewers with its content. 

The story is quite predictable from the very first scene and therefore the viewer keeps waiting for something new on the screen, which only comes in the climax. Surely the first attempt by RGV was much better than this. Sarkar Raj lacks the grip and is not able to entertain enough. Though technically and creatively its superb, but that’s not what the majority of people are paying for.  

Performance wise two people top the list, Amitabh Bachhan (though he has less scenes this time) and Dilip Prabhawalkar. Their scenes together are superbly shot and RGV genius shows in these few moments. In fact these are the only worth watching scenes in the movie not to be missed at any cost. Truly speaking Amitabh is the only active actor who could do justice to the character of the GODFATHER and he lives his part fantastically. The last scenes of the movie show his inimitable class and equally competent is Dilip Prabhawalkar in their confrontation scene.

The rest of the cast is just fine. Abhishek looks intense in his silence and Aishwarya looks sober. The sad point is that apart from Amitabh and Dilip no one else adds anything to the movie. Everyone else is just enacting their parts and only these two characters stand tall. The part of an unknown killer was very childish to use by a man of high standards named RGV.  

Musically, Sarkar Raj is many steps behind the original Sarkar. You don’t remember any chants walking out of the cinema and also the background music is not able to grab attention.The audience in the cinema was quite restless while watching it as they all were expecting much better stuff from Ram Gopal Verma. 

The movie is not as expected but it has its moments not to be missed which have the stamp of a master film-maker. But the conclusion is that RGV needs to get over his trademarks and has to reinvent himself urgently.

May be his next film on one of his favorite topic, Phoonk (Based on Black Magic) gives us our good old RGV back in form. 

Rating : 2.5 / 5

Jannat – A Hit plot of betting gets overshadowed by the love angle.

The Bhatts always are the first on making movies on the most controversial and current topics. With the IPL fever on, they now return with a movie based on the plot of betting and match fixing in cricket along with an elaborate angle of an intense love affair.

 

The film starts promisingly and ends brilliantly but in the mid it loses pace and interest as the narration stresses more on the love angle than on the interesting betting plot. The first one hour of the movie is exciting and highly enjoyable. Watching it you feel like seeing something new and an unexplored plot. The betting & match fixing scenes in the first half are brilliantly directed by the debutant director Kunal Deshmukh. And when you are expecting more of similar stuff coming later the director changes tracks and takes on the love angle as his main theme.

 

If the film would have been strictly on the betting and fixing plot then it was a confirm bigger Hit. But unfortunately there is more of sacrifice and love story angle which is quite expected and becomes tiring after a certain point. Though director shows promise in his first movie but he should have stuck to one plot only.

 

Imraan Hashmi is competent and gives a good performance. It can be counted as one of his finest. Sonal Chauhan looks fresh and ravishing. She has got the talent which will become polished with more of her movies. Jawed Sheikh as the DON shows class and he shines bright in his role. A very unexpected act is given by Samir Kochhar as the police officer. He is excellent in his small part and is an actor to watch for.

 

Bhatts definitely have a good ear for music and lyrics. Their movies always have some good numbers with meaningful lyrics. Jannat also has got hit music by Pritam. The songs don’t interrupt the narration and have got the soothing melodies. That’s the reason audio companies fought with each other for the music rights of this movie.

 

If you are a cricket fan and expecting a lot of cricket, betting and match fixing in the movie then you might be taken back. The movie has the main plot of betting but the story revolves more around the match fixer and his girlfriend. That’s the main drawback of the movie. The other weak point is that the background of Imraan Hashmi and Sonal are not explained in details. Sonal just leaves India for a live in relation with Imraan and there is no one in her family who has to be informed. Thought the love proposal scenes are highly enjoyable but after the intermission you feel the overdose of the affair angle.

 

As per their tradition Bhatts this time follow a similar plot as in “Two For The Money” (2005) featuring Al Pacino. But this time its only an inspiration and not a version. The script also gets inspired by the real life “Coach Murder” incident in the last world cup.

 

One of the highlight of “Jannat” is its climax, which is unexpected and has a shock for the viewers. After witnessing the climax sequence you feel that the film is good enough for a one time watch. As it has a new plot, good performances and soothing music.

 

Rating : 3/5 (it should have concentrated only on the betting plot)

After Shahrukh’s Cool Answer, Amitabh apologizes as an intelligent gesture….

As Aamir’ Blog comment was opposed strongly, Shahrukh gave a very cool answer which clearly showed that he took everything in good spirits.

And now Amitabh Bachchan has showed his humbleness and intelligence in his blog in response to the comparison TRP data’s which were earlier given by him.

In Amitabh’s own words,

“There are some amongst you who feel that there has been an attempt on my part to compare myself with other colleagues of mine. This is false and incorrect. I think the whole purpose of my account has been incorrectly interpreted. I have never ever meant that at all. I have never considered myself worthy of such position and have hated such indulgence.

However, if some amongst you have felt otherwise, I wish to sincerely apologize for that and say that I am sorry ! It shall not happen again.”

http://blogs.bigadda.com/ab/2008/05/15/day-28/

After these good words by Amitabh, I think Shahrukh and Amitabh both can be called as people who know their responsibilities which come with their fame. And Aamir surely now needs to do something extraordinary to re-build his image.

And many thanks to Amitabh Bachchan for this intelligent gesture which made me a more fans of yours than earlier.

You proved that you deserved to be called Sir Amitabh Bachchan.

Bollywood Ethics going down the lane – Its Sad….

In the last few days there were some unexpected, downgrade and un-necessary commenting in bollywood by some of the leading names which forced me to write this article.

Taking into account all the happenings, its about three people who can also be named as the Key Representatives of Indian Film Industry. They are :

Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan & Shahrukh Khan (in Alphabetical Order).

All of them have a different and unique position in one of the world’s largest movie making industry.

Aamir Khan – Considered as one of the finest Actor with a different thought procedure. Believes in re-inventing himself and has recently proved his excellence also as a director with “Taare Zameen Par”

Amitabh Bachchan – The Living Legend, mega star and actor par excellence who was the Shahenshah of Bollywood as the Angry Young Man in 70s and early 80s. Still doing amazing work at an age of 65+ when all his co-stars are no longer into screen existence. Undoubtedly the world famous representative of Indian Film Industry, without whom no chapter on Indian Films is complete.

Shahrukh Khan – The current heartthrob and most loved child of destiny who is the current Badshah of Bollywood. He is the lifeline for the youth and hugely famous in overseas market. Though he is more known for his mega hits than his acting but no doubt he has given some of the most successful movies ever in Indian Film History. Along with acting, he has also proved his great business mind and has a sharp sense of humor. Every youth related to India in any way knows the name SRK all over the globe.

Now the point to think is, that all the above three men have nothing more to prove to the outer world. They have done almost everything in their successful careers, have achieved unbelievable heights, have won hearts all over the world, and more importantly still roaring and energetic enough to reach more heights of success in the coming years.

The million dollar question is that when they have achieved so much by the grace of almighty, then are they not intelligent enough not to involve in silly and unnecessary commenting about each other. Does their intelligence is only for the movie making and acting. It seems that they have learned all the acting skills and conquered billions of hearts but they still have to conquer the feeling of JEALOUSY & GREED.

It all started when people started comparing Amitabh Bachchan’s success with Shahrukh’s. It was obvious as these are two most famous names from Indian Movies. Still this comparison could have been avoided as they both are of different age, both have a different era in which they ruled and moreover Shahrukh himself said that he used to see Amitabh’s movies in his school days. So whereas Amitabh is a veteran actor respected by Shahrukh himself, on the other hand now, Shahrukh has his fingers on the pulse of youth of the current times. So the comparison was not needed at all. Both have fans all over the world and both are the Badshahs of Bollywood in their respective times.

Between these two, Aamir Khan entered the fight with first a comment over Amitabh and his “Black” and then he targeted Shahrukh and his No.1 position. With a touch of humor Aamir gave a statement that Shahrukh is No.2 in Bollywood. No one had questioned his position but the statement was capable enough of starting another cold war with Shahrukh.

But the response of Shahrukh to this statement was surprisingly intelligent, soft and soothing. Many including myself were expecting that this is start of another rivalry with SRK. But amazingly Shahrukh came with the coolest response and said “Yes, Aamir may be true”.

In my opinion that showed the right kind of teaching Shahrukh has got from his teachers. I was very pleased with this kind of response as now there was nothing more to fight for Aamir. So the controversy stopped there.

Then there was another controversy with Shahrukh playing harsh humor games at the Filmfare programme along with Saif. That act was not taken sportingly by many in the Film Industry but no one spoke as later they all decided to take it with good spirits of fun. Once before also Shahrukh had made a comment on “Amar Singh” and his looks, which was very politically answered by Amar Singh later. This was really not needed and could have easily been avoided by Shahrukh.

Three days ago Amitabh Bachchan gave some data’s in his blog to show that his “KBC” show was more popular than Shahrukh’s “KBC” and he also pointed that the latest quiz show of Shahrukh is also a FLOP.

That was the most unexpected comment for me coming from Amitabh Bachchan himself as it is his personal blog. I couldn’t understand what was the purpose of it and what was the use of all those data’s in his personal blog which is supposed to be a platform for interacting with the fans. This was really like deliberately putting coal to the fire of cold war between the two.

And when I was still thinking why those data’s were given, here comes a latest from Aamir Khan, with the most shameful one about his fellow actor. In his blog he starts a write up with a story about a house he bought and the caretakers of that house have a dog with the name of Shahrukh.

What a strange, shameful and hugely unexpected statement it is.

This is not fun, this is not humor. In my opinion this is something to do with hidden agendas.

I love Aamir Khan and his mastery over his art, I love Amitabh for his number of memorable acts and the most cherished movies, and I love Shahrukh for his youthfulness and intelligence.

But I don’t love any of them when they indulge themselves in such disgraceful kind of activities. This is pulling the trade and all the people involved with it to the minimum level. This shows that they don’t understand the responsibility which comes with fame. This shows they all are two different personalities when it comes to competition.

Till now if I see all that I have written in this article, it seems to me that the person who has contributed the least in this all is Shahrukh. Though he has made some harsh comments in some instances but he has never been disgraceful and disrespectful to his co-stars in order to show his supremacy. He has shown that he has the class to respect the seniors of huge stature such as Amitabh and also has the humbleness which stops him to make strong and cruel statements which may give rise to further controversies.

Now after Amitabh gave the not needed data’s in his blog and Aamir wrote the most disgraceful words in his blog I expect that Shahrukh will respond as for sure, but will respond very gracefully with elegance of his own.

And regarding his response, I have a personal request for Shahrukh Khan,

Dear Shahrukh Khan,

I have not been the greatest fan of yours but I have always admired the spirit and energy you have. You are no doubt the most favourite child of Destiny but this success also delegates a huge amount of responsibility on your shoulders.

Now that our loved Indian Film Industry is the most talked about in the world and people from all corners read the moves and statements made by our idols. I expect that you understand the importance of this delicate moment. I can understand what it may feel reading those lines written by Aamir Khan with your name in it.

But I request and expect that as an intelligent and learned man, you now will not make any further similar statements as an answer to this.  Your answer will be the most read and talked about in the whole world and your words will also represent the psyche of our Indian Film Industry and its respected participants. 

Though I would prefer, you remaining silent to this as that will be that best answer. But still if you choose to answer then please think a thousand times before you do that, and you have to choose your words with the greatest care.

At present you are the current representative of our Indian Film Industry all over the world and you very well know that. So let your good education of Delhi show in your response.

I am sure that your intelligent response to this,  will lift the image of Bollywood all over the world instead of degrading it further.

That’s what I expect from an intelligent performer called Shahrukh.

my wishes for all the three stalwarts of Bollywood 

Aamir, Amitabh & Shahrukh (In Alphabetical Order of course)

This is bobbysing signing off…