Bollywood Reviews by Bobby Sing

KYA YAHI SACH HAI - Movie Review : Ignoring its poor technical aspects, this is a bold, honest and serious confession by an IPS Officer himself. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-12-30T23:07:00.000-08:00

DON 2 - Movie Review : Its better we start making films around entertaining SCRIPTS and not STARS. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-12-26T23:06:00.000-08:00

LANKA - Movie Review : What a miss by its makers! (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-12-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

PAPPU CANT DANCE SAALA - Movie Review : A simple, sweet film with one admirable performance. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-12-24T23:05:00.000-08:00

LADIES VS RICKY BAHL - Movie Review : They should have made it minus the songs and romance. Below expectations. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-12-24T23:04:00.000-08:00

THE DIRTY PICTURE - Movie Review : 'Zindagi Jab Mayoos Hoti Hai, Tabhi Mehsoos Hoti Hai' - A brave & bold masterpiece showcasing 'Life As It Is' with its four aces - an exceptional script, an intelligent direction, fabulous dialogues and an extraordinary Vidya. (Review By Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Biographical)

2011-12-23T23:00:00.000-08:00

DESI BOYZ - Movie Review : One of the worst big budget attempts of 2011 with some good music. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-12-22T22:45:00.000-08:00

The Adventures of TINTIN : The Secret of the Unicorn - An overview of the phenomenon created by HERGE, brought to life on screen by SPIELBERG. (Movies To See Before You Die - Thriller / Animation)

2011-12-21T22:44:00.000-08:00

DAM 999 - Movie Review : Great Publicity Material supported by a weak execution of the theme but with one cool performance. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-12-20T22:46:00.000-08:00

SHAKAL PE MAT JA - Movie Review : Just an attempt to make a situational comedy which becomes a mess as it progresses. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-11-23T02:24:00.003-08:00

ROCKSTAR - Movie Review : It rises above the level of entertainment and is like a smashing mirror on our face making us realize our own filthy self. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Love Theme)

2011-11-23T02:24:00.001-08:00

LOOT - Movie Review : Once again a shameful copy-paste act from Bollywood taking it all from CRIME SPREE (2003). (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-11-23T02:23:00.001-08:00

DAMADAMM - Movie Review : Surprisingly this is not bad and much better than many big duds. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-11-23T02:21:00.003-08:00

LOVE BREAKUPS ZINDAGI - Movie Review : Too much sugar in the cup always makes a bad coffee. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-11-23T02:21:00.001-08:00

RA.ONE - Movie Review : A more on graphics and less on entertainment, one time watch, 150 crores extravaganza. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-10-27T01:26:00.000-07:00

AZAAN - Movie Review : Sad to see such an effort being made without any proper directions. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-24T12:00:00.001-07:00

MY FRIEND PINTO - Movie Review : Can easily be called as the worst movie of the year. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-24T11:59:00.000-07:00

MUJHSE FRAAANDSHIP KAROGE - Movie Review : As the film is based on FACEBOOK relationships, so here I press the LIKE button. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-10-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

KHUSHIYAAN (Punjabi) - Movie Review : A mis-directed film made with noble intentions but a confused storyline. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-24T11:57:00.000-07:00

TERE MERE PHERE - Movie Review : Unexpectedly, an awful debut from Deepa Sahi. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

SOUNDTRACK - Movie Review : A fine adaptation of IT's ALL GONE PETE TONG (2004), it defines three words in our life namely 'Destiny', 'Acceptance' and 'Passion'. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-10T22:54:00.001-07:00

MUMMY PUNJABI - Movie Review : A poor try to encash the 'Punjabi Mother' image of Kiron Kher. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-10T22:53:00.000-07:00

RASCALS - Movie Review : Sadly David both copies and disappoints once again. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:11:00.000-07:00

CHARGESHEET - Movie Review : It doesn't deserve a review but only respect and good wishes for the spirited Dev Saab. (By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:10:00.000-07:00

HUM TUM SHABANA - Movie Review : Strictly remain far away from this. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

FORCE - Movie Review : It has no power in its punch. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:07:00.001-07:00

SAHEB BIWI AUR GANGSTER - Movie Review : It has great performances but misses the entertainment factor. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:06:00.001-07:00

CHITKABREY - Movie Review : Aims at wooing the smaller centers with its vulgar content. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-10-06T04:03:00.000-07:00

SPEEDY SINGHS - Movie Review : An un-necessary film with nothing but repetition. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:23:00.001-07:00

MAUSAM - Movie Review : I love and respect Pankaj Kapoor, as an Actor a lot, but honestly cannot appreciate his first directorial venture with the same spirit. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:22:00.001-07:00

RIVAAZ - Movie Review : A potential plot gets a childish treatment. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:21:00.002-07:00

MERE BROTHER KI DULHAN - Movie Review : Though you already know the plot, still do watch it for the chemistry between the cast, their fun and for Katrina in a brand new avtaar. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

THAT GIRL IN YELLOW BOOTS - Anurag takes the new age Indian cinema a few steps ahead but still its not an entirely satisfying affair. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:20:00.000-07:00

BOL - Movie Review : One of most shocking and stunning movies, which will shake you hard as never before. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Drama)

2011-09-29T03:18:00.001-07:00

BODYGUARD - Movie Review : It may earn many more crores than before, but for me its like playing with the innocent loyalty of your millions of fans. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:17:00.001-07:00

CHATUR SINGH TWO STAR - A very cheap imitation of Peter Seller's famous PINK PANTHER series. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

SAHI DHANDHE GALAT BANDE - Movie Review : Remains far away from its exact destination. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-09-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

NOT A LOVE STORY - Movie Review : "Koi Khud Se Bura Nahin Hota, Pal To Kisi Ka Saga Nahin Hota" That's my one line review of this masterpiece. (Review By Bobby Sing) (Movies To See Before You Die - Thriller)

2011-08-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

PHHIR - Movie Review : Should have been released directly on Home Video. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:14:00.001-07:00

AARAKSHAN - Movie Review : Prakash Jha gives you two different films pre and post interval quite surprisingly which brings down the whole spirit of the project. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:13:00.001-07:00

CHALA MUSSADDI OFFICE OFFICE - Movie Review : As a film its just an extension of the serial but as a moral lesson it should be shown in every Government Office, School, College and Hospital with a compulsory attendance. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:12:00.001-07:00

I AM KALAM - Movie Review : A sweet, simple movie which reminded me of Raj Kapoor's "Ab Dilli Door Nahin" but nothing exceptional. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

CHILLAR PARTY - Movie Review : Watch it with your kids at the earliest and have a good time. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:10:00.001-07:00

GANDHI TO HITLER - Movie Review : An amateurish attempt made without any vision or skill. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:09:00.001-07:00

SINGHAM - Movie Review : Though not great but still has some timely roars of a LION and a likable climax. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-08-14T09:01:00.001-07:00

ZINDAGI NA MILEGI DOBARA - Movie Review : Its not a film but a OSHO-nik kind of life teaching experience which needs to be watched by all as a must to learn the essential basics of LIVING. (Review by Bobby Sing) (Movies to See Before You Die - Adventure)

2011-07-17T02:59:00.000-07:00

MURDER 2 - Movie Review : Did they take the rights of the Korean thriller 'THE CHASER' or just copied it shamelessly as per the old Bhatt camp's tradition? (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-07-17T02:58:00.000-07:00

BBUDDHA HOGA TERRA BAAP - Movie Review : Its print ads and visual promos were much better and interesting than the movie itself.....but the BAAP is still there. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-07-17T02:57:00.001-07:00

DELHI BELLY - Movie Review : Enjoyable, Raunchy, Weird, Shocking, Disgusting, Sick, Abusive and A HIT. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-07-17T02:55:00.001-07:00

DOUBLE DHAMAAL - Movie Review : There is nothing double in here but somebody please stop these unequal sequels. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

BHINDI BAAZAAR INC. - Movie Review : It teaches all the makers a valuable lesson that "Masterpieces cannot be made deliberately, but they get into existence just BY CHANCE." (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:32:00.001-07:00

ALWAYS KABHI KABHI - Movie Review : A complete mess of some good intentions. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

BHEJA FRY 2 - Movie Review : The copy worked earlier but the original effort in the sequel fails to impress. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:29:00.001-07:00

LOVE EXPRESS - Movie Review : Are they now planning to serve us the assignment movies made by students of a film institute to be watched in the theater for a price? (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:28:00.000-07:00

SHAITAN - Movie Review : Well shot & performed, but unconvincing based on a seen before plot going over the length. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:26:00.000-07:00

WEST IS WEST - Movie Review : Beautifully explains the torn personalities of people settled away from their mother land with some great ethnic music. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-19T23:25:00.000-07:00

READY - Movie Review : Its neither WANTED nor DABANGG and a feeble show as expected from the director Aneez Bazmee. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-06-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

KUCCH LUV JAISA - Movie Review : It seems that few films are just made to show some expenses or losses in the books. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

PYAAR KA PUNCHNAMA - Movie Review : A mostly enjoyable journey into the women psyche but could have been much better in a shorter version. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-23T03:36:00.001-07:00

404 - Movie Review : A fine one time watch experimental movie, but only for a tiny section of viewers. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-23T03:35:00.001-07:00

LOVE U MR. KALAKAAR - Movie Review : Rajshri refuses to move away from its fixed pattern. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-05-23T03:34:00.001-07:00

STANLEY KA DABBA - Movie Review : Irrespective of the Box Office result, this should be ideally considered a more important movie than TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, targeting the dark side of our Society. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-05-16T05:43:00.002-07:00

SHAGIRD - Movie Review : Its like AB TAK CHHAPPAN Part Two, but not as polished as Shimit's gem. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-16T05:43:00.000-07:00

RAGINI MMS - Movie Review : Watch the original 'PARANORMAL ACTIVITY' instead of this cheap imitation. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-16T05:41:00.001-07:00

HAUNTED - Movie Review : Just made to encash the 3D + Horror combination and nothing else. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-16T05:40:00.000-07:00

LUV KA THE END - Movie Review : A fine bubbly teen movie but again its not an original. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

NAUGHTY @40 and its inspirations.

2011-05-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

CHALO DILLI - Movie Review : Its mostly an enjoyable and appealing fun ride..., but I wish the makers had the courage to acknowledge their original source of inspiration. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-08T00:17:00.001-07:00

I AM - Movie Review : Where its first half is a subtle, enlightening masterpiece, its second one is like a hot burning coal kept on your bare palm. (Movies To See Before You Die - Drama)

2011-05-08T00:16:00.001-07:00

SHOR IN THE CITY - Movie Review : Just a good watchable attempt but nothing exceptionally new. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-08T00:15:00.001-07:00

DHARTI (Punjabi Movie Review) : Its RAJNEETI made in Punjabi minus the illegitimate sons and brutal murders, but still can be called a brave and appreciable attempt. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-05-08T00:13:00.001-07:00

ZOKKOMON - Movie Review : A not so great but still ok super hero children film from Disney, using the same idea of Vishal's MAKDEE. (Review by Bobby Sing)

2011-04-24T08:29:00.001-07:00

DUM MAARO DUM - Movie Review : An average second half ruins the excitement created by the first one. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-24T08:27:00.001-07:00

3 THAY BHAI - The most absurd movie of 2011 served in the name of Comedy. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-15T23:01:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU - Movie Review : The apt title of the movie should have been SORRY. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T10:08:00.000-07:00

F.A.L.T.U. - Movie Review : Its weak, amateurish and has too many songs but still I fully support its novel thought on the admission percentage criteria of Colleges. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

GAME - Movie Review : It looks pale, boring and even funny in front of today's TV Crime thrillers such as C.S.I. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:47:00.000-07:00

MONICA - Movie Review : Divya Dutta works hard and shines brightly in an otherwise weak film. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:45:00.001-07:00

YEH FAASLEY - Movie Review : Hangs in between a below average and intelligent movie. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:42:00.001-07:00

TANU WEDS MANU - Movie Review : A pleasant surprise gift in a small package. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:41:00.001-07:00

7 KHOON MAAF - Movie Review : A disappointing film revealing nothing more than its title. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

PATIALA HOUSE - Movie Review : Its more a Rishi Kapoor film than a Akshay Kumar venture with a not so convincing second half. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-04-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

YEH SAALI ZINDAGI - Movie Review : Sudhir Mishra is back in form with a bright film. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-02-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

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YEH SAALI ZINDAGI – Movie Review By Bobby Sing

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UTT PATAANG - Movie Review : Exactly made as per its title. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-02-08T23:09:00.001-08:00

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UTT PATAANG – Movie Review By Bobby Sing

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DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI - Movie Review : A nice realistic comic film which teaches that life should move on. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-02-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

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DIL TOH BACCHA HAI JI – Movie Review By Bobby Sing

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DHOBI GHAT - Movie Review : A short but just OK offbeat film which can be watched once for Prateik instead of Aamir. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-01-25T09:30:00.000-08:00

Another offbeat film coming from the house of Aamir Khan is bound to raise the expectation level of the viewers after PEEPLI LIVE. And further if it has the numero uno Aamir Khan featuring in it too, then obviously the levels tend to rise up to even greater heights.

So keeping in mind the artistic genre of the movie and the viewers expectations associated with it, Aamir realized the risky situation and took a very important step of not promoting DHOBI GHAT at all like he earlier did at the time of PEEPLI LIVE. In addition to this he simply chose to be silent because he very well knew that DHOBI GHAT was not the usual entertaining kind of stuff for the viewers and they might feel cheated if he went on to promote it like that.

Opening with a scene shot by a hand held camera and a voice-over coming from the background, the film straight away gives you an idea that its going to be a complete off-beat kind of project moving away from the usual bollywood stuff in all departments. And that really excited me a lot as I really wanted to see something different and good coming from the talented team of Aamir Khan productions. But as the film progressed I enjoyed it calmly but didn’t find anything great, exceptional or path breaking unfolding on the screen as far as the content is concerned. No doubt it has one worth watching performance by a talented son of a highly honorable name of the industry, Smita Patil. But apart from that I found DHOBI GHAT just an OK movie, which though is made intelligently but on the other hand it also moves around the key character of a lady who is completely confused and ready to mingle just with anybody she meets on her short visit to the city of Mumbai from America.

Another reason why I was not so impressed by the film may be that I have already seen many much better movies from the World Cinema which talk about three or four different stories together, walking into each other and then creating an interesting kind of situation in the climax. For example, the movies of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who has given us gems like 21 GRAMS, AMORES PERROS and BABEL. In fact the directorKiran Rao seems to be quite impressed from this Mexican director since her movie has got a very interesting connection with him, which might have been intentional. DHOBI GHAT’s background music has been composed by the Argentine Composer Gustavo Santaolalla who was also the composer for Inarritu’s BABEL. So the inspiration angle is right there which clearly indicates what might have influenced Kiran Rao to select this kind of script for her directorial debut.

The choice of the subject may have been fine and its execution on the screen can also be called enigmatic. But its script was not upto the mark as per my understanding because I found many loose ends and un-required plots in the movie which were added just to give it an artistic and off beat feel as desired. Like I couldn’t understand the mind-state of the leading lady called Shai in the film, who was on a short visit to Mumbai from America. Now even when she was just visiting the city on a short tour, why was she so keen on making deep loving relationships with just about anyone she met, including the Dhobi coming to her home where she was staying. Moreover she even seemed to be too casual in going physical in all those relationships as if she was habitual of a very open kind of lifestyle suggesting many other things. Coming to the Dhobi of Dhobi Ghat (Prateik), it was very confusing to see him having a strange kind of relationship with one of his rich lady clients like a paid sexual performer. Did Kiran wished to show him working as a GIGOLO too? Further the sequences of Prateik’s rat-killing job in the nights also looked like deliberately inserted only for showing something new on the screen having very less impact on the actual story otherwise. Or maybe it had some kind of hidden meaning in it which I was not able to understand. Also there is no explanation given for the mute lady character living next to Aamir who is just sitting still all the time and yet has got nobody to feed or take care of her, ever visible on the screen.

Besides the questions mentioned above, I found the film pretty low on the emotional level. In other words it fails to make an emotional connect with the viewers instantly. The characters remain under-defined and fail to leave an impact on the viewer (with an exception of Prateik). For example while watching it, one neither feels any kind of seriousness in the love shown by Shai for Aamir, nor one feels sorry for Aamir when he comes to know about the tragedy happened with the earlier tenant of his newly acquired house. The only connection felt is in the final scene where Prateik runs before Shai’s car to give her the surprise of her life unexpectedly.

DHOBI GHAT is only around 95-100 minutes of duration. But surprisingly such short duration also seems to be too long in the theater as the pace is so slow and keeps dropping regularly. And in the end you actually feel like watching a full 3 hour length movie as usual. So despite of being so short, it still required a more crispier edit in the final stages.

Yet the saving grace of the film comes in the form of Cinematography and Performances which in turn make it a watchable venture for sure. The exceptional camerawork in DG introduces you to the city of Mumbai in a novel style which would be loved both by the Mumbaikars as well as the lovers of the city living anywhere else. Its various captivating shots bring back the old charm of the city in a great style which undoubtedly deserves a special mention here as a must. Plus the Background Score is impressive and suits the mood and ambience of the movie quite aptly. However I felt as if Kiran Rao in her debut movie, was more interested in the cinematogarphy, concept and feel of the movie on the whole and had given quite less emphasis on the characterisation and depth of her actors emoting on the screen.

In the performances department the two ladies making their debuts in the movie are just perfect for their respective roles and they rightly prove why they were chosen by the makers among the wide choice available. Especially Monika Dogra as Shai looks charming on the screen and even emotes well with the right expressions on her face. But her dialogues have been dubbed in Hindi for an undisclosed reason. Still she is sure going to be noticed by the industry without any doubt. Kriti Malhotra as the lady on the video tape is very natural and leaves her own mark on the viewer. But sadly her role and characterization remains incomplete and for that the culprit remains the script.

Aamir Khan once again underplays intentionally and gives way to the other co-actors in the script like he previously did in TAARE ZAMEEN PAR. But again his character remains an ill defined one, which does not allow the viewers to feel for him from their hearts. And therefore the sole attraction of DHOBI GHAAT remains Prateik as he is right there standing tall with an applaudable performance in the film, moving ahead of everyone else. The boy has got a great gifted talent which is clearly visible in his remarkable expressions and impactful dialogue delivery style. In fact its actually his performance alone which makes DHOBI GHAAT a watchable movie for once.

Overall, if you are an avid fan of WORLD CINEMA then DHOBI GHAAT may turn out to be just an OK or above average film in the end. But you may like it if you haven’t seen any of the similar movies from the other parts of the words far superior than DG. In any case, it still can be watched once for Prateik alone instead of Aamir. But I was really expecting a lot more from Kiran Rao and her DHOBI GHAT.

Ratings : 2.5 / 5

TURNING 30 - Movie Review : The title is more interesting than the film. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-01-25T09:27:00.001-08:00

One can write in details about a movie when either it impresses him a lot or when it turns out to be a complete disaster and a great waste of time for the viewer. But it’s really tough and also uninteresting to write about a movie which simply leaves you midway and generates a confused kind of impact in the end. TURNING 30 is also one of those few new age movies, which though is based on a relevant and important subject but its end result is nothing more than a below average film made on a fine subject.

No doubt the basic idea behind the film looks like influenced by famous western projects such as BRIDGET JONE’S DIARY and SEX & THE CITY. But in order to create a more philosophical cum controversial kind of a film, its writer and the director move far away from the topic, giving way to the same old Bollywood kind of formulas in its second half.

As per the subject and its language, TURNING 30 is strictly meant for the urban audiences and that too only for the multiplexes. But after watching it, even the multiplex viewers may also feel like having seen something confusing because the film never justifies its meaningful title convincingly. It starts off pretty well with debutant director Alankrita Shrivastava focusing on the right things in the right manner. And its initial reels talk about the subject in a more specific way, with all those bold words and straight forwards dialogues. But later on the focus gets disturbed and one loses interest due to the script returning to the same old plots of the heroine penning a book on her personal experiences and finding her own way in the big bad world.

Ideally, TURNING 30 should have been made on the feelings, thought process and inner mindset of women who have reached that stage and how they tend to tackle the situation in their own way. A mix of 3-4 different stories of few distinctive ladies finding their own way to enter the 30s would have been a great script. But the present movie has only few initial moments talking about the basic theme and then the script starts moving into the same old set patterns post interval. And that’s where it all falls flat making no impact of any sort on the viewer. As I felt, it should have been an insightful journey into the mind of lady turning 30 but sadly after its promising start, the film remains limited only to the visible physical changes in the body of a girl and never moves into the soul of an aging female mind anywhere in its latter reels.

Moreover, I simply cannot understand that if the directors of such films are so visionary and thoughtful of making a film on such a novel subject then why on earth they go on adding so many songs into it? Do they still believe that a Hindi Film cannot and should not be made without any songs? At the most, TURNING 30 needed only one song and that too, a sad one with some meaningful lyrics talking about dejection or un-acceptance. But strangely the songs do keep coming in at regular intervals which really are quite disturbing in such concept based movies. And here they even don’t have any melody in them to calm you down.

Gul Panag as the leading character of the movie is fine and has broken many of her own set rules of the past in terms of boldness. But the writing gives her no support at all and lets her down completely. Purab Kohli is also good but again his role is not a well defined one in absence of any good reasons given for his coming back to Gul so passionately. Ira Dubey has only got a brief role in which she does well and the rest of the cast is strictly ok with everyone filling their parts to their best.

So, as a subject TURNING 30 had a lot to say and reveal but as a film it doesn’t provide you enough explanation of its title theme. Still, if you really want to see it for any specific reason then you may watch it, but only after it gets released in the Home Video market.

Rating : 1.5 / 5

YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA - Movie Review : The good run of 2011 continues with a Dabangian kind of entertainment for the masses by the Deol Family. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-01-25T09:22:00.001-08:00

The Deol family is back after APNE with a film which is just made for the masses providing complete entertainment to the lovers of hardcore masala Bollywood movies. It’s gives you a Dabangian kind of a feeling in which even when you know that its all illogical, full of loop holes and also over the top, yet you do enjoy the most of it with a smiling face and also laugh at certain sequences occasionally. In other words I felt like watching a new DABANGG made in Punjab where we have Sunny Deol punching the villains and throwing them mercilessly like the rotten vegetable bags lying in the godowns.

Putting it differently if you loved DABANGG and love watching movies of the legends Manmohan Desai & Prakash Mehra with all that lost and found emotional drama along with comedy, action and romance, then YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA would be a perfect watch for you in this current week. The North India should love the movie immensely as it has the whole Deol parivar together in their full form and style. Yes there are many minuses too associated with the movie which do not allow me to call it a perfect film all together. But fortunately the strong merits of the film overshadow its demerits with a far better second half which successfully converts an otherwise ok movie into a good one.

Before writing further, I would like to say that its not at all logical at any place, so all the critics looking for some meaningful cinematic value in it may get disappointed. But at the same time its also not a silly or head-aching loud comedy made on the lines of Priyadarshan's last few comic ventures. Though it has a Priyan kind of a climax but overall the script uses its four ingredients - action, comedy romance and emotion quite effectively in the narration which in the end leaves you mostly satisfied. So, if you loved watching its trailer, then the chances are that you would surely enjoy the movie equally, if not better.

Starting with an expected solid Sunny Deol fight scene, the director Sameer Karnik makes his intensions clear that I am only interested in giving you entertainment and nothing else. Beginning from Canada, the film reaches Benaras when Sunny visits the city in search of his father and brother. Here Dharmendra and Bobby Deol are introduced as the famous con-men of the city but I seriously felt that the entry of our lovable Dharmendra could be much better. I was really expecting him to enter on the screen with more grandeur and style. Anyway, the first half majorly revolves around these three characters and a lovely lady Kulraj Randhawa who plays the love interest of Bobby.

Frankly speaking YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA is one of those few movies whose second half is better than the first saving the film on the whole. The first half is just fine entertaining you in bits and parts. But it starts dragging after an hour with few un-required songs (why 2 item numbers in the bar) and a not so impressive romantic angle which should have been deleted at the editing table itself. Just before intermission the Sikh characters (brothers of Kulraj) enter the scene and then we are transformed into a completely different world of Punjab with more lively characters and hilarious sequences.

Post intermission the film moves at a great speed and has many more entertaining moments (with only 1 song) as compared to its first half. And that’s what saves the movie literally and wins the game. The writer Jaswinder Singh Bath is highly inspired by the folk story of MIRZA SAHIBA along with movies such as DDLJ and JAB WE MET which clearly shows in his second half. But the entertaining moments post interval, with the three Deols together, don’t let you think about anything else and one simply forgets about the resemblance of its plot with some earlier HIT movies.

Especially the second half belongs to two more performers other than the Deol family. And they are Anupam Kher, as the girl’s father and Mukul Dev as the girl’s elder brother. Anupam Kher is simply too good in the character of Joe Bhaaji. He is comic, he is loud, he is hilarious and yet elegant in his own impeccable style which is another achievement by the veteran actor once again. In fact I really wonder how he manages to sink into the role of a such a comic character so easily on the screen, when in the real life he is so thoughtful and intellectual kind of a learned person. That’s really outstanding as I see it. Accompanying him impressively is Mukul Dev speaking Punjabi so fluently as if he is a regional actor taken from the Punjabi theater. I really doubt that the viewers would even recognize him in his Punjabi getup having long hairs. The interesting thing is that he has only few short one liners or two word dialogues in the film, which work in a great way and make your laugh. I really loved his drunkard character saying many hilarious things in the backdrop which one might miss if he is not watching or listening to him carefully.

Both Dharmendra and Sunny Deol give a very controlled yet effective performance, which remains the highlight of the film. They both are sure going to get all the claps and seeties in their own north belt undoubtedly. Especially their fight scenes together in which Sunny is back as the macho man of GADAR beating the bad men quite similar to the style followed by Chulbul Pandey a few months back. In short Sunny is going to be loved and Dharmendra is going to be cherished by his fans after a long time. Coming to the youngest of the three, Bobby Deol, he gets the maximum attention in the story as the main character for whose love interest, the whole drama is played in the second half. Bobby looks smart and does fine both in the get up of a con-man in the first half and as a Sikh NRI in the second. Though his drinking scenes together with Dharmendra are a bit lengthy and overdone, still their chemistry together is great which surely deserves a watch on the big screen.

In the remaining cast Kulraj Randhawa scores the best looking gorgeous on the screen much better than many famous big names of the Industry. She makes a confident big screen debut in Hindi Films which should sure get her more assignment in the near future. Johny Lever and Sucheta Khanna are great. Nafisa Ali and Amit Mistry make an impact in their brief roles. Emma Brown Garrett, as Sunny’s foreign wife is surprisingly good with her two Sikh Kids. Most of the audiences really laughed out loud whenever one of the kids used to say “Ditto”. Himanshu Malik is ok but Puneet Issar gets wasted having nothing substantial to do in the script. Ajay Devgan as a friendly gesture opens the film with his voice over, which was a nice act done by the actor out of his love and support for the film. Cinematography of YPD is eye-catching capturing the outdoors of both Benaras and Punjab. But the dialogues and the action are the real jack here which fit in perfectly matching all the Punjabi characters interacting on the screen.

Coming to the biggest weak point of YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA, it is the music which should have had more Dhol and Punjab in it instead of 2 item numbers (in the bar) and 2 romantic songs. In the whole soundtrack I found only one song “Charhaa De Rang” having the much required melodious notes in it. I really didn’t like the remixed version of the Hit song “Main Jatt Yamla Pagla Deewana” at all and would still prefer to hear its original track only. Other than the soundtrack its a lengthy movie of almost 3 hours of duration which essentially required editing at many places, particularly in its first half. Specifically the romantic songs, the romantic scenes and the drunkard scenes in the first half could be more short and to the point. Moreover, the writers could have thought of another climax moving away from the usual Priyadarshan kind of an ending and the director at least could have shown the role of Police in our system somewhere in its 3 hours (There is no Police anywhere in the movie throughout).

However another merit of the movie I would like to mention here is the appreciable sarcasm incorporated beautifully in its script regarding the passion of Punjab with NRIs and VISAS. I really hope the people living in Punjab would take a note of it while watching this.

In all, it’s entirely a masses entertainment movie on the lines of DABANGG, which should be loved by all fans of Deol family especially the viewers in the North Belt of the country. So, the good run of 2011 continues with YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA and that’s really a good news for the Industry which hasn’t witnessed many big hits together in the month of January before.

Rating : 3 / 5

NO ONE KILLED JESSICA - Movie Review : An appreciable must watch start of 2011 breaking the first week jinx of Bollywood. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2011-01-25T09:18:00.000-08:00

It is great to see a brilliant start of 2011 with a hard hitting realistic drama NO ONE KILLED JESSICA fulfilling all the expectations associated with it to a large extent. Director Raj Kumar Gupta’s second venture, after the much appreciated but inspired AAMIR, is indeed a must watch for everyone interested in some thought provoking and soul searching stuff moving away from the usual fantasy.

The best thing about the movie is that even when the viewer already knows the whole story unfolding on the screen, the film still successfully manages to impress and keeps you glued to your seats till the end. And in that process the first half of NOKJ plays the more important role since it has more pace, punch and happenings as compared to the second.

Starting with the references of Kargil War and Air India plane hijack in Kandahar, NOKL makes the impact from its first scene itself showing both Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee in their separate unrelated sequences. The execution of the actual killing scene of Jessica in the bar is skillfully done by Raj Kumar, which makes the ball rolling and you start feeling that you are going to watch a well made film in the next reels. Director, Raj Kumar Santoshi also used the reference of this case in his HALLA BOL few years back, but here the context is used in a more focused and bold way revealing all the hidden parties involved in the case very openly. The excellent pace of the script in its initial hour both entertains as well as enlightens the viewer about the big nexus between the rich, police and the politicians. And there are three main factors responsible for its thrilling first half. First is the authentic use of the famous Delhi lingo spoken by the people and the police incorporated in a blunt way. Second is the exceptional choice of the supporting cast by the director and his associates which works instantly and third is its spellbinding first court room scene which makes you feel like hitting all the hostile witnesses denying justice. Along with that the satire portrayed by the murderer’s mother speaking from behind the door, “Mere Monu Ko Kuchh Nahin Hona Chahiye” indeed deserves praises for its writer.

Making a good move, Raj Kumar Gupta very cleverly divides the movie into two parts giving one entirely to Vidya Balan and the second to the veteran Rani Mukherjee. The first half has Vidya Balan fighting for the justice with her helpless family and friends, coming up with a remarkable performance. And the second has Rani Mukherjee taking on the task of getting the case re-opened and then putting it to justice with the help of her media profile and channel. Honestly the second half is somehow less engaging because its completely predictable with more screen time given to all the public responses and community reaction sequences happening all over the country. The proceedings in the later part seem to be going too smoothly as if the re-opening of the case and making everyone admit their mistake in the judiciary system was a very easy task for the few people related to the media. Especially I found the media and the channel part of the film a little hushed up and not worked upon properly. Moreover the concluding hour surely could have made a more solid impact on the audience with a sharper editing towards the end.

But I was really glad to see Raj Kumar Gupta rightly showing the role played by “RANG DE BASANTI” in getting the justice in Jessica’s case. As shown in the film, it was indeed the influence of RANG DE BASANTI on the youth which triggered the Candle Light March in Delhi at that time. A perfect example of how films can become instrumental in bringing a positive change in the society.

Another plus point of NOKJ is that it never tends to be a documentary or a biographical kind of movie made on a true incident. The film is based on a perfect thriller script with a better first half preparing the viewers for a modest second. Shot mostly in Delhi as demanded by the subject it has a realistic kind of feel and Camerawork which makes you relate to the characters on the screen very easily. The Background Score and songs by the duo Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattcharya (Lyrics) are used quite minimally just as required by the theme with the “Delhi Delhi” song already becoming famous. In fact Amit Trivedi seems to have excelled himself in giving music to such thought provoking and off beat films. But giving it a second thought I really feel that the emotional part in the music was really missing and it was more designed with the aim of creating an artificial sensation on the screen.

The two main aces of NOKJ, Vidya Balan and Rani Mukherjee do win the game played by Raj Kumar Gupta with élan. However I would like to rate Vidya Balan more than Rani here, since her role neither had any amount of glamour, thrill or excitement in it as it was there in the character played by Rani. Yet, Vidya comes up with another splendid performance after PAA and ISHQIYA which is undoubtedly capable of getting her more awards in the future. On the other side, I felt the character of Rani a little over energetic, with an extra superficial kind of energy and enthusiasm than required. In other words, there is a sharp contrast in her portrayal pre and post interval. Before the intermission she looks more lively & hard hitting with all those abusive words in her dialogues and actions but post intermission she becomes rather pretty cool, deliberately pushing her subordinate in the front which doesn’t fit into one single character together. Still she strongly goes on to prove that she is in fact a veteran of the Industry and knows her job well.

In the supporting cast, as I mentioned before, there is a small gem of a performance coming from Rajesh Sharma as the investigating officer, especially in the first half. Neil as the key witness and Zeeshan as the main accused are fine too along with Myra as Jessica playing it quite effortlessly.

All together, I would like to add that films like NO ONE KILLED JESSICA got to be made and seen for the betterment of the society as a must. It’s not a kind of venture which would give you some instant big returns on the box office, but as proved by RANG DE BASANTI, films like NOKJ are surely capable of bringing more awareness in our society and may we all start taking some collective actions together before it becomes too late. From that point of view, it may not be a highly entertaining film or fun in the theater for many viewers. But in reality it’s a project by the talented Raj Kumar Gupta, which takes Indian Cinema further on the road of success and our Indian viewers need to develop a taste for such reality based movies as a must. (So that our future generation can live in a much better world around.)

And I sincerely hope that the film becomes a decent success breaking the New Year’s first week jinx of Bollywood.

Ratings : 3.5 / 5

ISI LIFE MEIN - Movie Review : A typically simple Rajshri film with an important message for the society. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-26T05:16:00.000-08:00

From the last few years, the team at Rajshri Films is regularly coming up with all similar kind of projects having some fixed characteristics. For instance, if a film starts with a pleasant family atmosphere where everyone is smiling at each other, there is Bhajan being sung at an in-house Puja Ghar with the idols of Ram Seeta & Lakshman, the first half goes on with no story development at all, a conflict arises just before the intermission, the rest of the film has a feeble plot with an important message for a society and essentially if Mohnish Behl is there in a key role………then the film is definitely a product of Rajshri Movies without any exception.

As expected, ISI LIFE MEIN also suffers from the same above mentioned Rajshri Syndrome, which urgently needs to be looked upon by the people associated with the banner. The film is simply shot and weakly written having few average performances from the cast, which are incapable of making any kind of impact on the viewers. Moreover the music, which always has been an important quality part of a Rajshri product, is also below par this time which further acts as a major letdown for the venture.

The first half has everything going on in a pleasant manner which clearly indicates that something wrong will only happen towards the intermission. But against all the expectations the second half too keeps on moving at the same pace and the real plot only crops up in the last half an hour, which also fails to register. With such a lazy and uninteresting script, having all seen before kind of content, I don’t know why the reputed production house gave its green signal to this product in the first place.

The only likable feature of the movie remains its leading pair, who look pretty on the screen especially Sandeepa Dhar in the role of cultured girl with all the Indian Values. She acts pretty well and also looks gorgeous on the screen in both western and Indian attires. Akshay Oberoi too has got the talent and looks but he somehow scores less in comparison to his leading lady. Salman Khan making a cameo for a few seconds is wasted whereas Mohnish Behl has got the same old expressions to show in all those emotional scenes. Similarly the rest of the cast also acts exactly like you have already seen in many previous Rajshri Movies. Therefore there in no freshness or novelty in the treatment given by the director Vidhi Kasliwal to the film, which ideally could have been much shorter than its present length? In fact, the director should have ended the movie right after the marriage sequence in the climax as per the need of the subject.

Having said that, I would like to praise Rajshri people for their noble intentions of making films which always have some important social messages to give to their viewers. Following their valuable tradition, ISI LIFE MEIN too has TWO important messages for the society, pointing towards the concept of modernism and the ages old dowry issue still prevalent in our modern civilization.

As its first message the film tries to explain that a modern person doesn’t necessarily mean a person far away from his traditional values and customs. In other words its always possible that a person may be modern along with having the same rich culture and traditions in his heart which in turn enables him to lead a much better life than the West.

Secondly, the film talks about the still to be tackled Dowry issue in our society from a different angle never touched before. Moving away from the usual stuff, the story here emphasis more on the father of the girl, who with a heavy heart, always agrees to the greedy demands of dowry, for the sake of his own image in the society and relations. Instead of pointing the finger towards the dowry demanding families, the film asks an important question to the girl’s father that, “How can you even think of throwing your own daughter in the clutches of such greedy people and that too with all that glamorous show off? Why can’t a father just refuse such a ridiculous demand and wait for the right kind of families to make a relation with?

And as an answer to this question, the film has a sequence where Mohnish Behl himself stops the marriage of his own daughter and asks her would be in-laws to simply leave with his folded hands……The act really needs to be followed by every father of a girl in our society, since it’s the girl who later suffers severely till her last breath and yet cannot complain.

Hence, though ISI LIFE MEIN has got nothing in it as a movie experience, but as a social venture it does have a great message for our younger generation and their future. So you may give it a chance but only after it gets released on the Home Video after few weeks.

In the end, along with reviewing the movie here, I would strongly like to oppose this ugly one sided practice (Dowry System) of our society through this platform of my site and I hope my readers would also try their own bit to fight this unwanted curse imposed upon us from decades.

Ratings : 2 / 5 (including an extra star only for its subtle social message)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

MIRCH - Movie Review : A dangerous film which might entertain as well as offend both men and women. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-25T09:14:00.000-08:00

Some films prove you absolutely wrong when you just ignore them in comparison to few big films and then end up cursing yourself for making such a weak assumption about the movie. MIRCH was definitely one of those few under-estimated films which not only surprised me with its bold content but also made me think several times about all the relevant questions raised in its thought provoking script, after a long time.

But before praising the movie further, I would first like to mention that MIRCH is not at all a technically brilliant film from any angle nor it can be included in the list of all those perfectly acted or directed films either, to be precise. Yet, the reason why I am including it in my MUST SEE MOVIES List is that it is a very rare movie which is both likable as well as hateful in a very strange manner.

In fact MIRCH is a novel kind of daring attempt which at one end surely entertains you in a very fresh and mesmerizing style, but on the other hand it may also seriously offend both the MALE and FEMALE genders equally in a very dishonorable way. Talking about four different stories on the sexual relationship between man and women in contrasting backgrounds, the film is a pretty bold sex comedy which strictly calls for an adult viewing without any doubt. And in the end it may also turn out to be a dangerous movie putting many new unwanted ideas into your mind un-necessarily.

In short, its a Vinay Shukla directed film made on a very bold sexual subject, which for the first time explores the topic of adultery from the woman’s side. In all the four stories in the film, it’s the woman who betrays and cheats her husband in a very harsh way, whereas its only the fourth one in which the husband too is doing the similar kind of act on the other side. In each act of betrayal shown in the film, the women play on a certain trick and get away with their disrespectful act very smartly. On a controversial note, even after being a fairly entertaining flick, the film may come out to be both confusing and disturbing for a certain section of viewers who may like to take the depiction of Man and Women in its stories in a bad taste.

Where the women might feel being shown with an intolerably sickening attitude, the men too might feel being portrayed as fools and silly husbands on the screen with a pinch of humor. But at the same time, both the genders would also feel thoroughly entertained deep inside from their heart (which they may choose to hide). And that’s actually what I liked the best about MIRCH, a movie which can generate such wide diverse reactions among the viewers which may go beyond any imagination of human mind.

In bold words, the film may be thought provoking for some and a kind of soft porn for many. It may be enlightening experience for one and a disgusting thought of a pervert mind for the other. It may seem to be a journey into the mind of woman for one and might turn out to be a waste of time for the other. And since there are not many movies which are capable of generating such variety of responses in the viewers, MIRCH becomes an important film to be seen and studied in your own unique way. Here I would also like to add that in spite of being based on such bold subject, the seducing and intimate scenes in the film never go beyond a certain limit and remain un-objectionable, which indeed is a great job done by the director and his cinematographer.

Reportedly the film is partly inspired from the Italian Classic “The Decameron” by Giovanni Boccaccio and partly from “Panchtantra” as mentioned in the movie itself. However, I was quite surprised with the reference of “Panchtantra” in it, because I only had a vision of ‘Panchtantra’ as a collection of moral stories for the young ones. May be I would have to research on it a little more. Anyway, along with its interesting concept, director Vinay Shukla uses his entire talented star-cast in an intelligent way where no one looks like doing something wrong on the screen and also entertains. It only takes few initial moments to move into the actual theme of the movie and then it starts making its impact pretty fast.

On the whole, MIRCH is a movie which should be seen by all as a must because one cannot guess what actually you will make out of it in the end. After watching it, you may get a feeling close to the one mentioned above or in other case, you might go on to discover something of your own in the four stories unfolding on the screen one by one. But you essentially got to see it first to make your own decision.

Directed By Vinay Shukla
Starring : Konkona Sen Sharma, Raima Sen, Rajpal Yadav, Prem Chopra, Ila Arun, Tisca Chopra, Shahana Goswami, Boman Irani, Arunoday Singh, Saurabh Shukla, Sushant Singh and Shreyas Talpade.

TOONPUR KA SUPERRHERO - Movie Review : Its both technically superb and unentertaining at the same time. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

A first of its kind of attempt in Indian Cinema,TOONPUR KA SUPERRHERO reminded me of a more than two decades old English Classic with the title WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT which came in 1988 and won 3 OSCARS for its excellent achievements in visual effects and editing. TKS is also made on the similar lines where a human character is deliberately pulled into the World of CARTOONS and then is forced to help them in their problems. The film revolves around a fictional setup where in various cartoon characters living in their Toon-world are interacting with a human figure and the images on the screen are a mixture of both cartoons and real actors talking to each other.

No doubt the producers of this path breaking Indian venture deserve all the praises for putting their money in this risky and out of the box project. But unfortunately the end result is not worthy enough of fetching them any good returns for their heavy investments made. And the conclusion arises because the experience of watching TOONPUR KA SUPERRHERO is like hanging on to a pendulum which keeps swinging between two extremes constantly.

At one end the film is simply superb in its technical department with visual graphics matching up to the Hollywood standards which can easily be considered as a great achievement by everyone involved in its visual effects team. But on the other end, TKS is complete disaster as far as entertainment factor is concerned. The film falls flat in its script department as the writers are not able to hold the viewers attention throughout its short duration, which is not what you expect from an animation film.

In straight words, I would like to ask a question here that basically for what target audience an animation film is made for? The answer obviously comes as ‘for all the kids and the kids hidden in the hearts of all age groups’. But while making TKS, the makers probably forgot this basic rule of the genre and just kept focusing on the technicality involved in the graphics section of the project. As a result the film turned out to be a bad experience both for the kids as well as for the adults young at heart. In fact I myself saw the few kids in the theater teasing their parents restlessly instead of watching the animated characters moving on the screen. And that was more like witnessing an instant review of the movie sitting right there in the theater. Hence as an animation film made for the children, TKS fails to hit the bulls eye but as a technical project, its indeed a brilliant and brave attempt from its creative team of animators.

If only Kireet Khurana, the director, had taken more care of the content than the execution, the project could have been the talk of the town this Christmas. The second half of the movie is much better than its first as it has many interesting developments and games taking place in the narration. But then again the hurried up climax, leaves a bitter taste in the end and you feel like leaving the theater as soon as possible. Actually an animation movie mainly works when anyone of its cartoon images successfully makes an immediate connection with the kids watching it. But in TKS, the writers are not able to establish any emotional connect with the viewers and therefore no one falls in love with any of the cartoon characters shown on the screen.

Performance wise it’s Ajay Devgan’s film all the way, surrounded by many watchable animated characters seeking his help. Ajay does a real good job in the movie since its not an easy task to emote to just blank curtains with position marks made on them for your eye contact. And Ajay passes the difficult challenge with distinction. Kajol, as the mother has got nothing much to do in the film, so she cannot be blamed for anything. But other than the lead pair, the real stars of TKS are its animated characters such as Bolly, Guppy and their creators behind the screen who must have spent thousands of hours in order to present them so perfectly. Musically the film gets only an average score from Anu Malik, wherein I didn’t find any special catchy song especially composed for the kids.

However the art direction flawlessly serves the demand of the subject as required.

In the end, I would like only like to add that TOONPUR KA SUPERRHERO is just like a half baked cake, whose base has been baked to perfection but the top remains completely flavourless. So you can make your own choice if you really want to taste it.

Ratings : 2 / 5 (including one star only for its brilliant animation and the creative team)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

TEES MAAR KHAN - Movie Review : With no declaration of being an official remake anywhere in its titles, I would take it as a shameless COPY of Peter Sellers AFTER THE FOX and that too way below the mark. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-24T05:10:00.000-08:00

The first thought which came to my mind after watching TEES MAAR KHAN was that “Jin Ke Apne Ghar Sheeshe Ke Hon Woh Doosro Per Patthar Nahin Maara Karte”. The dialogue fits on both brother sister duo Farah Khan and Sajid Khan as a T since it was Sajid Khan who used to reveal every inspired film and its original source in his T.V. show few years back. And now in the present both Sajid and Farah are coming up with the same kind of inspired films and also enjoying their box office success in an amusingly ignorable manner.

Talking about Farah Khan and her TMK, I already knew that the film was heavily inspired from the plot used in Peter Sellers AFTER THE FOX (1966). And as I expressed this view on Facebook, I was told that the film is an Official Remake and the producers have bought the rights for the same. The news did make me happy since this was the right way of doing it like Karan Johar did it in his WE ARE FAMILY. But sadly, there was no declaration of any sort anywhere in the starting titles or in the ending ones from the makers about its copyrights. Therefore I would take TEES MAAR KHAN as another shameless copy from the West which is surely not a decent gesture from anyone involved with the film. And in case they have bought the rights but not revealing it then I would further like to call it A SIMPLE ACT OF CHEATING the audiences, wherein you are hiding your actual source and don’t have any GUTS to admit in public that its not anything original of your own. Moreover, it was quite strange to see this kind of hurting product associated with the reputed house of UTV Productions.

Coming to the movie itself, in simple words it’s a very pale and mediocre interpretation of a very exciting plot. In fact I was quite surprised to see Farah Khan, ruining such a brilliant plot which could have worked like wonder having all the elements of fun and excitement in it. Revolving around the character of a wanted criminal Tees Maar Khan, the story mainly deals with a big heist planned by him fooling a whole village of innocent people including a policeman. The plot is as it is taken from the Peter Sellers famous Classic Comedy and even some jokes are adopted like a true remake. The only difference in both lies in the character played by Katrina Kaif. In the original, she is the sister of the famous criminal, who madly wants to feature in movies, whereas in TMK she is the girlfriend of the lead character having the similar kind of craze.

TMK starts as an uneven ride right from the start with a long plane sequence which is not able to raise enough laughs. The first half has no story development as such and the actual heist plan starts post intermission. As I feel, Farah Khan knew that she has got a weak first half and that’s why she very smartly included both the item songs, “Shiela Ki Jawaani” and “Wallah Wallah” in the first half of the movie itself to keep the viewers hooked in.

The second half starts off on a brighter note and does manage to entertain the viewer for a few moments. But then everything starts happening so easily that you lose the interest in the proceedings and the weak climax leaves you in a confused state where you start thinking, that what was it all about? From the performances view-point the film is one of the best guidebooks on hamming and overacting. In fact kudos to the director, Farah Khan for directing such a unique movie in which almost every single actor is hamming and overacting like never before. Yes, we know that this is her own style of making a film, but atleast it has to be entertaining for the audience, as it was in her last "Om Shanti Om".

Reviewing TMK in it various departments, I would like to write more about the movie in the following straight forward points.

A. The film simply wastes a great potential comic plot in all that hamming and overacting by its entire star-cast.

B. The only saving grace of the movie is “Shiela Ki Jawaani” song along with “Wallah Wallah” coming one after another in the first half.

C. Akshay Kumar does show his old comedy sparks at regular intervals, but here I would like to convey him that “there is a very thin line between confidence and over confidence which clearly shows off on the screen very easily. So please be aware of that”

D. Katrina Kaif should unarguably include TMK in her weakest or worst movies ever, as she just remains a mere show piece in the whole movie and has not got even a single good scene except the famous item song. In fact, I think some of her fans might question her that “Why you had to do it?”

E. Akshay Khanna can easily forget about this venture since he has done only shouting and hamming in all his scenes which is far away of being termed as Acting.

F. Raghu and his brother Rajiv, unexpectedly play complete contrasting characters on the screen moving away from their famous small screen images. And somebody tell them that they both look like fools in the movie, as the joined villain brothers, who just have to giggle and speak together in their few scenes. In the supporting cast Akshay’s three con friends are funny at places and Arya Babbar makes a feeble impact. But both Murli Sharman & Aman Verma in the role of two Officers try too hard to be funny.

G. Truly speaking, from the entire cast if any person made me laugh loudly in just a few scenes then it was Sudhir Pandey in his short role of Akshay Khanna’s secretary.

H. Musically, I didn’t find anything exciting in the soundtrack other than its innovative and catchy title track sung in different voice textures. Interestingly this track is credited to Shrish Kunder and the rest of the songs are from the famous musical duo Vishal-Shekhar who have done just an above average job. Frankly speaking, I even didn’t like “Shiela Ki Jawaani” a lot as I strongly feel that the song surely would not have become so famous minus Katrina Kaif in another project not backed up by any Akshay Kumar and Farah Khan. And in the Cinematography and Art direction department, TMK doesn’t have anything exceptional to showcase to the audience. However I would like to mention here the brilliant opening animation sequence of a child dancing in the womb, which was really well thought of and executed.

I. It was really amazing to see Shirish Kunder taking the whole credit of STORY and SCREENPLAY in the titles where in reality it is all copied from the cult Peter Seller movie almost entirely.

J. Farah's love for Manoj Kumar and his works continues in TMK too. But what a degrading way to use the hugely famous national integration song "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" in the climax.

K. Overall, coming from FARAH KHAN who gave us “Om Shanti Om” in the past, this is a weak project which works only in parts and fails to connect with the audience instantly. With neither the lead character of a thief winning over the viewers nor his heist making the things exciting, the film fails to give you a wholesome entertainment as expected from its successful director.

In the end, I would only like to say that you can watch it if you are dying to see “Shiela Ki Jawaani” and her moves on the big wide screen along with Salman Khan dancing in “Wallah Wallah”, or if you are a big fan of watching Akshay Kumar in the comic genre. Otherwise just search for the DVD of the Original Peter Sellers Classic Comedy AFTER THE FOX and treat yourself with some good decent humor in your homes.

Rating : No Rating (Since its just a Shameless Copy and even if they have bought the rights, they had no guts to openly admit it in front of the viewers by writing that in their titles.)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

PAYBACK - Movie Review : Though below average but at least we get to see a novel plot. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-23T05:05:00.000-08:00

In the last few months we have seen several small films presented before us without any decent publicity or news. Most of these were the first time ventures of their debutant directors who sincerely wished to make it big with their fresh ideas. No doubt, such ventures usually go unnoticed in absence of any magnetic star value or backing of a big production house. And quite often they also fail to deliver on the execution level too. But the one good thing about all these small ventures is that they do come up with many untouched and novel ideas to share which is indeed a welcome change to see and encourage.

PAYBACK too falls in the same category of a low budget project which does not have a known star, a Hit song or any controversial plot to rely upon. The only merit it has got is the interesting story plot to tell which sadly gets a mediocre execution both from its director and the writers. Revolving around the happenings of only one night, the film cannot be called upon a racy thriller as its pace keeps dropping and the narration never brings you on to the edge of your seat. Still, it doesn’t become painful as it keeps the viewer guessing and you never know what’s going to happen next on the screen.

The story deals with an honest character of a boy next door, who wants to pay back truly by helping a man who had once saved his life by taking him to the hospital after a road accident. But the problem arises when the boy comes to know that his god sent helper is actually a hit man working for the underworld. The plot had great potential for a fine entertaining thriller on the lines of Sudhir Mishra’s IS RAAT KI SUBHA NAHINwhich also was based on a one night plot. Unfortunately PAYBACK is nothing close to that classic movie and therefore fails to make any kind of impact on the viewer.

Technically its one song number, background score, cinematography and the art direction just serve the purpose and do not provide any kind of support to its well thought and noble plot. Moreover its script and direction further converts it into a very slow paced average product which is not enjoyable at all from any angle.

On the acting front the lead actor, Munish Khan unsuccessfully tries too hard to gain the sympathy of the viewer. Sara Khan is not able to impress as there is no visible romance between the lead pair. Mukesh Tiwari & Gulshan Grover are effective as usual but Hrishikesh Joshi overacts. Zakir Hussain as the helping Hit man is great but I still felt his elaborate performance, somehow less than what he always displays in his small roles in all RGV’s films.

Overall, other than its interesting story line, PAYBACK is not going to pay back any kind of entertainment in return of your ticket money, so better save it for the next week.

Rating : 1.5 / 5

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

BAND BAAJA BAARAAT - Movie Review : Truly captures the lively West Delhi ambience and is a delightful watch with two shining performances. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-22T05:04:00.000-08:00

In the present scenario, there are only two ways to write a descent movie, One – give the viewers a completely fresh entertaining storyline never tried before on the screen which is a tough task to do and Two – surprise them with a novel style of narration, using the same old kind of plots they may have already seen before but not in the same pattern or setting. BAND BAAJA BAARAATfollows a bit of both these rules in its execution and thus comes as a clear winner both in terms of entertainment and value of money.

First of all its uses the backdrop of a entirely new kind of business in which the lead pair is running a company ofWEDDING PLANNERS in which they plan a whole wedding for a fixed amount of fees. Now their novel work certainly adds some fresh outlook to the project as it has never been used in a full fledged way for a Bollywood movie before. However you may remember glimpses of this job seen in Deepa Mehta’sMONSOON WEDDING where Vijay Raaz played the role of a Decoration Contractor.

Secondly, though revolving around the same concept of opposites attract (the boy and girl first fight and then fall in love), BAND BAAJA BAARAAT comes up with a completely fresh style of narration, using the realistic ambience of Punjabi Families and youth living in the areas of WEST DELHI. The openness found in the narrow lanes of Delhi’s famous colonies like Janak Puri, has got a huge attraction value in terms of language, warmth and daring. The viewer at once feels a relation with every character on the screen within minutes and that’s where the director starts making his impact on the audience in a big way.

The other important merit of the film is the way it defines the word INSPIRATION in the best possible manner. No doubt the writers take the inspiration for their basic plot from the English flick “THE WEDDING PLANNER” (2001). But here they have only taken the base for their story from the Original film and then have developed their own script on the foundation of that borrowed idea, which truthfully displays what exactly we should mean by the word, Inspiration.

Coming to the film all together, it’s a pleasant journey throughout with a highly entertaining first half and a very thoughtfully directed second. Where the first half is full of fun, dance and engaging moments, the second is more strong on the emotional side with few tolerable dull moments too. The whole narration is so fresh in execution and content that the viewer at once falls in love with the entire proceedings and starts enjoying. Looking at the basic premises where the movie is based i.e. New Delhi, it is an extension of the genre introduced by KHOSLA KA GHOSLA, OYE LUKCY LUCKY OYEand the recent DO DOONI CHAAR. Interestingly BBB’s screenplay has also been brilliantly written by Habib Faisal, the director of DO DOONI CHAAR and his script gives its full support to the confident direction of the debutant director Muneesh Sharma.As a team they both are really capable of doing wonders in the near future and I would be eagerly waiting for their next.

To be precise, BAND BAAJA BAARAAT wholeheartedly belongs to its lead pair of Anushka and the newcomer Ranveer. With their immensely likable chemistry, they both deliver superb performances in the movie and leave a highly positive impact on the viewer in the end. Here I would like to admit that with BBB, Anushka, whom I never took seriously in her previous movies, forced me to change my view about her acting skills. She very effortlessly slips into the body of a strong North Campus University Girl, who reacts with her brave boyish attitude and speaks with a heavy Punjabi accent.

On the other hand, Ranveer is simply outstanding in his amazing first time screen appearance and he straight away creates fans out of his viewers. The boy clearly gives you the reason, Why he was chosen to make his debut in a Yash Raj Film, who are known to be more comfortable with all the big saleable stars. In fact it was Ranveer and his remarkable portrayal of a directionless young graduate in the movie, which satisfied me a lot after a long long time and also made me feel like dancing on my seat at several instances. So, God willing, the boy has a great future ahead. His impressive act even reminded me of another similar kind of superb debut performance given by Arshad Warsi in his first film, “Tere Mere Sapne” released in 1996. Apart from their sparkling youthful performances both Anushka and Ranveer equally excel in their emotional scenes too which says a lot about their real hidden talent. And that’s not all since BAND BAAJA BAARAAT also has one the most sensuous, emotional and touchy kissing scene ever filmed on the Indian Silver Screen between its leading pair. After a long time I felt a director dealing with the issue of pre-marital sex with a more thoughtful, practical and appreciative approach in our Indian Cinema, which is a clear indication of our film-makers growing in their fearful stance towards the issue.

On the music front, one starts liking the soundtrack by Salim-Sulaiman and lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya while he is watching the film but I still think that a big universal HIT song could surely have helped the film in a much better way. The songs “Tarkeebein”, “Main Te Ainve Ainve Ainve” and “Band Baaja Baarat” are good and do stay in your mind while leaving the theater. In the marriage sequences both Choreography and Cinematography add to the entertaining mood of the film, shot in some interesting real locations of West Delhi. And in the supportive performances Neeraj Sood stands out as the Flower Vendor while Manmeet Singh and Manish Chaudhari suit their roles perfectly.

In all, BAND BAAJA BAARAAT is the most pleasant surprise of the year, which entertains many thousand times more than the big budget NO PROBLEM released along with it. But if still the latter gets more success on the box office, then it would certainly be a big loss for the viewers themselves in the long run. Finally, Yash Raj Films have a winner in their hand and they should continue doing the good work of giving chance to new kind of scripts, writers, actors and directors to come up with more movies like BAND BAAJA BAARAAT. So, you are all cordially invited to take part in this entertaining on-screen celebrations at the earliest.

Rating : 3.5 / 5

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

NO PROBLEM - Movie Review : Do they assume the viewers as fools sitting in the theaters while making such crap. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

There was only one feeling in my mind and heart, after watching just 30 minutes of NO PROBLEM and the feeling was of burning anger and disgust. Before writing anything else about the movie, I would like to ask few simple questions to the director and his entire team of actors and writers involved in this film which are :

“Do they have any idea how difficult it is to earn a 100 - 300 rupees for a common man who delightfully spends that amount on films being released every week without even thinking once?” or

“Are they not at all concerned about giving something to enjoy to the person who is spending his hard earned money on their fast made movies, week after week?” or

“Do they assume all the VIEWERS as FOOLS sitting in the theaters who would enjoy and clap on just anything served to them in the name of comedy?.

The above questions are enough to give you an idea of how low I would like to rate this movie on the whole. In fact NO PROBLEM is unarguably one of the worst movies presented before us in the recent years with such a huge star cast. The film clearly gives us an indication that the genre of Comedy has now further degraded to much lower levels by our film-makers in their lust of making some quick bucks.

Storyline has never been the key feature of an Aneez Bazmee film and he has always copied ideas from the west for almost all of his previous successful films. But with NO PROBLEM, I would seriously like to doubt on his status of being known as a BIG TIME DIRECTOR too. With a project like NO PROBLEM which seems to be made by some school children who know nothing about cinema, it really puts a big question mark on the cinematic understanding of every single person involved in its making.

A total disaster from the word GO, the film has no story development, no characterization and no entertainment value of any sort right till its end. I was very sorry to see the veteran ANIL KAPOOR both as one of the lead actors and also the producer of the film which is sure going to be a big forgettable black chapter of his otherwise illustrious career. Moreover I really never expected this kind of project coming from his own production house.

Where the first half of the movie is bad, the second half even goes beyond the definition of bad. With a Cop laughing due to two bullets left in his stomach and people falling and hitting each other just to make you laugh, it makes you feel like shouting from your seat to have the ticket money back. The last reels of the movie are the most ridiculous ones where in Aneez Bazmee once again uses the getup and characters of SIKHS to raise some laughter, which in my opinion should now readily be considered as offensive. The music and songs are way below the standards with only one peppy song written around Punjab and its people. Though Cinematography is fine capturing all the foreign locations effectively but the background score is too loud and disturbing.

In the acting department, I would not like to comment on anyone at all, because everyone is equally awful in their allotted roles (with a lot of renowned names even going to the extent of hamming). And what a mess they have made of the talented young Baby Saloni, around whom a whole short film can be written. Till now you must have got the idea about how terrible my experience may have been watching NO PROBLEM. And to end it on a more interesting note, I would like to mention that I simply left the theater the moment two Gorrillas came from no-where in a Party Hall to help the heroes. May be I should have left long before that.

Rating : 0.5 / 5 (and that too only for Baby Saloni, who should not get disheartened looking at the final outcome of the project)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

RAKTCHARITRA II - Movie Review : Nothing special or exceptional as a second part movie. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-20T04:55:00.000-08:00

Releasing a project in two parts within a span of 2 months is an innovation tried for the first time in Indian Cinema by the veteran Ram Gopal Verma. The idea may have been borrowed from Quentin Tarantino but RGV did try to give his own cruel and novel touch to his two part project with a more moralistic kind of storyline involving crime, politics and revenge. But truly speaking unlike it first part, I really didn’t enjoy RAKHT CHARITRA II since it had nothing new both in terms of storyline and characters. Moreover, this time, I had too many disagreements with its presentation and also couldn’t appreciate the content RGV had to offer in the second part of his so called great EPIC.

The biggest question I had in mind while watching Raktcharitra II was that why on earth RGV decided to show the complete RECAP of his PART I in the starting of this film. More surprisingly, he gives almost 30 minutes to this RECAP in the start which in my opinion was a complete waste of time and a big mistake. Simply speaking, if you are clearly writing and conveying in the posters that its RAKTCHARITRA Part II then you are obviously assuming that people would come to watch it as a sequel movie, already knowing the story depicted in the first part. Then what’s the use of using 30 long minutes to show everything he already knows.

Secondly if the director is really so much concerned about the viewers who haven’t watched his first part and want them to know the story behind it then it’s a simple indication that the director is not confident enough that everyone in the theater had actually seen his first part few months back. Frankly speaking this was the first time I witnessed this kind of lack of confidence from RGV in his movie. The point I want to make here is that if it’s RAKTCHARITRA II then you straight away have to start it as a sequel from the point where Part I had ended and that’s it. Showing such a along recap is nothing more than underestimating your own product yourself and degrading it further.

Leaving the recap section apart, RAKTCHARITRA II has nothing new in its content and execution. The film offers not a single fresh scene which we haven’t seen before in numerous movies made on politics and revenge. A person’s family ruined by a planted bomb, his attempt of taking revenge by planting a similar bomb in his opponent’s car, the scenes in the jail, putting forward a female candidate (wife) in the general elections, a courtyard murder, coming out of the jail, killing the rival and then returning to his cell with the help of the officials and the last minute moral lesson…………what is there in the above lines which we haven’t seen before or not familiar with? In short, what was the intention of RGV coming up with such a lackluster part II is really out of my understanding? In clear words, apart from his competitive shot taking and excellent frame structures he never shows any other novelty in rest of the departments of the film, which really disappoints big time.

Other than the Superstar of the South, Suriya in the role of Vivek Oberoi’s opponent, there is nothing in RAKTCHARITRA II which can be praised whole heartedly. In fact Surya and his powerful performance is the only saving grace of this unexpectedly weak film from the house of RGV. Vivek Oberoi is fine but not exceptional as he was in Part I.Shatrughan Sinha is hardly there in the movie and you miss him a lot. Sudeep gets more scope this time and makes the best use of the opportunity given. All the female characters in the film are just there for the sake of it and have nothing much to do.

Hence as I see it RAKTCHARITRA II is nothing in comparison to its First part, which was more exciting, gruesome, chilling and bloody. Truly speaking I didn’t find anything special to try this project as a two part venture either. If only RGV had released it as a single film with a longer length it surely could have been another bright chapter of his much talked about repertoire. So you can only try it if you are more interested in watching Suriya or RGV’s out of the routine camera and interesting frameworks. Otherwise just take it as a one part movie alone and forget about its Part II.

Rating : 1.5 / 5

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA - Movie Review : A loud slap to all the glossy film makers teaching them the lesson that film-making only depends on writing, writing and writing alone. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

One line review of the movie – Simply add the name Subhash Kapoor to the group of new extremely talented directors who are capable of teaching new lessons of cinema to all the big names relying entirely on Big Stars and their glossy film- making styles to save their reputed names in the Industry. PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA is a loud and tight slap to all those starry directors and it clearly reminds them the first lesson of cinema which says that Film-making solely depends on writing, writing and writing alone.

A worth watching experience, not to be missed, PGRO is a big relief after the dull period of watching all those mediocre films coming from the big production houses. In short, this is one of those few movies released this year whose script should be used in all the film making institutes operating in the country to teach the art of script writing and even editing. Not dependent upon any saleable star or hit item song, PGRO is a delightful film to watch which is very intelligently neither made as a complete comedy (like Golmaal series), nor it has been especially designed as a deliberate satire (like Peepli Live).

Brilliantly and thoughtfully written around the subject of WORLD RECESSION, it’s a film which smartly touches many important issues prevalent in our country dealing with crime and politicians. Revolving around the plot of a visiting NRI in a remote area, it mainly deals with his kidnapping being planned by all the DONS operating in the region. How he manages to make fool of each one of them and successfully flies back to America with more money on his side then expected, is what the story is all about. Amusingly written around this thought of an NRI dealing with all the criminals, the writer showcases several major drawbacks of our society in a comical manner.

Starting with the scene of groom-kidnapping, it talks about the still existing charm of going to America for earning dollars, the kind of English being taught in the remote areas by self proclaimed teachers, the influence of OBAMA and his slogan “Yes We Can” on the whole world, the kidnapping racket run with the aid of gangsters and politicians and the power of media to change the course of things in just a few hours.

In the next few days you are sure going to hear praises for the movie from all your friends and critiques. But regarding that I would like to state that don’t take PGRO as an out and out comedy in any case. The movie is not anything like GOLMAAL series but is more like a OYE LUCKY LUCKY OYE kind of project where you will enjoy each & every development on the screen with a big smile on your face along with few laughs at regular intervals. Here the director neither uses any silly comic sequence to make you laugh nor does he uses extensive abusive language in his dialogues to make some deliberate ripples in the theater (as done in Peepli Live). But still he manages to impress you hugely with his skilful writing and perfect characterization of his few characters in the script and literally excels in that.

Based on a purely novel thought incorporating the subject of RECESSION in the world of GANGSTERS and UNDERWORLD, it is indeed a first in the world of cinema. The lead hero of PGRO is its well written script which both starts and ends on equally shining notes and leaves a long lasting impact on the viewer. In fact this is a kind of movie which will largely satisfy the cinematic urge of ever true movie lover and student of cinema world-wide. For instance, just carefully look at the costumes, dialogues, gestures and expressions on the face of every actor on the screen, which clearly explains the contribution made by its director in adapting the taut script for the celluloid in such a splendid way.

Performance wise there are several small gems scattered throughout the film, delivered by some familiar names. With no one interfering or overlapping each other in the acting department it is a rare balanced show put up by all the actors. Rajat Kapoor as the NRI is as usual fine in his calm and cool approach. Sanjay Mishra as the disheartened gangster is excellent. Manu Rishi as the “Security” in each deal is simply wonderful. And Amol Gupte in the second half as the corrupt criminal minister is outstanding. He should really do more such films for the sake of good cinema and its hungry viewers. In the female lead, I really loved the look and feel of Lady Gabbar Singh played by Neha Dhupia magnificently. In fact I found her looking more sexy and beautiful in the get up of a lady gangster (with eyes filled with surma) than her usual glamorous looks we normally get to see. With class acts delivered by the entire star cast, PGRO, a songless film, unarguably is one of the surprise packages of the year which once again proves that Hindi Films does not only mean love, song, dance and big stars without any so called script.

In nutshell, it’s a highly recommended flick which at last provides us the much needed break from all the silly romantic projects seen in the last few months. So, do yourself a favour by watching PHAS GAYE RE OBAMA at the earliest and encourage directors like Subhash Kapoor to keep on giving us more such projects in the near future. And thanks to Warner Brothers for supporting such a non-starry product, which solely depends on its merit of exceptional writing.

Rating : 4 / 5 (The film is included in my “Movies To See Before You Die” List mainly because of its new intelligent thought incorporating the ‘Recession’ and its brilliantly written script. However I only wish it had more hard-hitting and enjoyable one liners in its various sequences.)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SE - Movie Review : My Salute to the martyrs of our Indian Independence but as a movie experience it lacks the spirit, pace and punch of a rebellion film. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-18T04:52:00.000-08:00

Continuing with his craft of making movies on the literary works of renowned writers, Ashutosh returns to the Historical genre with his “KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SE”which surprisingly gets released without any great publicity in the media. Frankly speaking I was highly confused seeing the not so impressive posters and promos of the movie before its release and now after watching it, I am still more or less in the similar state of confusion with mixed reactions. Therefore to state my two distinctive viewpoints about this latest project from the reputed director, I would like to review the movie in two different sections:

As a Historical movie on a lesser known, Independence movement of Chittagong witnessed in 1930.
Looking at the movie from this angle, it is indeed a highly authentic depiction of the historical event of 1930 made with upmost honesty and sincerity. The story is about a team of few young Freedom Fighters allowing the help of more than 50 teenager boys in their violent freedom movement. Ashutosh has no doubt taken care of every little detail of that time and the people involved in it with a superb vision of his own. And along with that, we should be highly thankful to him, to enlighten us all about this hidden chapter of our Indian Independence movement which was not known to most of its viewers living in the Northern Region.

As an artistic project, the film is perfect with great art direction and cinematography, bringing the period of 1930 alive on the screen with near perfection. But I really wish the same perfection had been there in its writing department too which is too slow paced, lengthy and even uninteresting at regular intervals. The costume designing also is just limited to white kurtas being worn by almost everyone in the team and doesn’t come up with a great show as required. The film starts at a very lazy note and never picks up in its entire first half, due to which the viewer loses his every hope to see anything great or exceptional from the director with a great line-up in the past. Post intermission too, though the narration picks up with all the action sequences unfolding on the screen, but still its execution is certainly not anything close to Ashutosh’s own set standards in his previous films.

The most annoying part of the movie is the portrayal of all the British Officials, who quite shockingly act and look like characters of some school or university stage play. Even the casting of all the actors posing as Britishers is way below the mark and overlooked. In other words, this doesn’t seem to be the vision of the same person who directed some brilliant sequences in LAGAAN dealing with British Officials.

Along with this, the other biggest failure of the film is that it is not able to generate the much needed patriotic feeling in the viewer, which should be a must in a film made on a real-life independence movement. Honestly, the only time I felt patriotic with blood running faster in my veins was when I saw the real pictures of the actual teenager freedom fighters lying dead on the ground (shown in the end credits). So, as a historical film, the completely fails to make an impact and Ashutosh has only one merit on his side that he has got a very unheard tale to tell which is not known to many.

As a Movie experience alone of a new Bollywood venture.
Reviewing KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SE on the basis of a movie experience alone is a hurting job as the film has got nothing to offer as far as entertainment is concerned to the audience. In clear words, for most of the viewers it may be quite painful to watch it right till the end. And this was evidently proved as I myself witnessed a few couples leaving the theater just before its intermission.

It’s fine that the film is made on a respectable and honorable real life incident which deserves to be saluted by every citizen of the country. But still to make it both as an enlightening and entertaining cinematic experience, it surely needs to be dramatized in a more punching way. Sadly, Ashutosh doesn’t seem to be thinking that way and that’s the reason, he has not included any blood pumping arousing sequences or clap worthy dialogues in his movie, which in turn has resulted in a very calm and relaxed kind of patriotic venture. Moreover, as always, the length remains an issue in his movie this time too, as KHJJS is just few minutes short to 3 hours and could have been easily edited out with 10-15 minutes.

Putting it differently, actually What a common viewer wishes to feel when he is going to watch a film made on a historical event of Indian Independence? He undoubtedly wants to feel the action, smell the gun powder and would like to give a standing ovation clapping loud at the end of the movie feeling proud to be a citizen of the current world power, INDIA. That was the reason which converted both GADAR & LAGAAN into such big hits. Or on the other side, a film made on the Indian patriotic movement should be so sensitive and emotional that it should make every viewer in the theater go numb with wet eyes in the end as in SHAHEED & GARAM HAWA. Unfortunately, KHELEIN HUM JEE JAAN SE can neither be called as a powerful uplifting movie nor as an emotional enriching experience. The only good thing about the movie is that it thankfully makes us aware of an actual independence movement which somehow got lost in the other over famous incidents and sacrifices of the Indian Freedom Fighters and that’s all.

Musically its again a weak soundtrack chosen by the director for his film which ideally should have been a song less movie as per the requirement of its theme. The Background music too is not so engrossing which can take a particular sequence to a different level. A strong upbeat, patriotic song with great lyrics and composition is missing in the movie which was a must. Amusingly the “Vande Matram” song running with the end credits made me remember the decades old song from ANAND MATH (1952) which still remains the most inspiring melody composed with the patriotic words of VANDE MATRAM.

Performance wise, KHJJS has some appreciable performances coming from its entire supporting cast other than the lead pair. The whole supporting team of Abhishek along with all the young teenager actors, surely deserves praises for their effortless acts in the film. However I couldn’t applaud the casting choices made by Ashutosh in his current project for his lead pair, since both Abhishek and Deepika were not looking great in their out of the routine roles. With quite few scenes in the movie, Deepika is not able to take away the glamour off her face. Still I found her much better than all her previous movies since her debut film. On the other hand, there is a vast difference in the charactersation of Abhishek in pre and post interval of the movie. And for this the blame should actually go to his director. In the first half he is shown to be very calm and composed, having a solution to every little problem in their works. But post intermission his complete mannerisms undergo a drastic change in the tough conditions of their plans going wrong. So as a conclusion, KHJJS cannot be rated as one of the best works of anyone in its entire team including the actors, writers and the director. However, only the ART DIRECTOR can proudly use this movie in his repertoire at the top and it can also be applauded as a pure ORIGINAL in the present Hindi Films scenerio dealing with Inspirations from the West. So you may watch it to know more about a hidden yet important chapter of our Indian Independence Movement, but don’t go for it expecting anything near to LAGAAN or SWADES.

Ending on an entertaining note, I still rate the use of “DOGS AND INDIANS NOT ALLOWED” by Manmohan Desai in his Amitabh Bachchan starrer MARD as the best way of addressing the issue on the wide screen.

Rating : 2 / 5

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)

ALLAH KE BANDE - Movie Review : Only the effort is appreciable here with everything else going over the top. (Review By Bobby Sing)

2010-12-17T04:51:00.000-08:00

Watching the first few minutes of ALLAH KE BANDE made me remember three different films from three different regions. One was the English film “Sleepers” (1996) which was about few child characters who are made to choose the wrong path of crime after their brutal exploitation in the tender age. Second was the world classic “City of God” or “Cilade de Deus” (2002) from Brazil which is considered among the world’s best movies made on the subject of child crime. And the third was our own recent flick “City of Gold” (2010) which was also based on the same subject in the background of Bombay Mill workers of the 80s.

The reason of recalling these three films was the same old one, as I found ALLAH KE BANDE a mixture of all the above mentioned movies with only one worth remembering scene and several forgettable ones. Directed by the debutant Faruk Kabir, who also has enacted one of its key role, the film can only be rated as a fine effort from the newcomer but nothing more than that. If only he had chosen either a different kind of subject or a different kind of treatment, it could have been a different case. But in the current scenario, the film is based on the same old content of children from the slums getting into the world of crime due to their own greed and sexual exploitation by some ruthless men leading to the ages old plot of gangsters and their internal clashes.

Starting from the childhood days of two energetic kids, the director, Faruk Kabir, surprisingly spends almost more than one hour of its first half only on their childhood sequences. And after that too right till its intermission he is still busy in only introducing his various characters on the screen in a pretty over-confident manner. In fact every frame of the director clearly indicates his forceful attempt of deliberately making a path breaking film on the subject of child crime. But unfortunately he never gives you anything fresh to enjoy and his narration too remains identical to what we have already seen in many previous movies made around the same theme. Throughout the movie, Kabir only seems to be interested in showing everything with some extraordinary passion, energy and power. And maybe that is the reason why every actor looks like doing it little over the top in the entire film including both the child actors in its first half.

Actually as I see it, no one can make a classic or a path braking film intentionally or willfully. Classics get made on their own unknowingly without any deliberate efforts of the team and even the people who make them, are themselves not aware of how they were able to do it so perfectly. Therefore, it was a huge mistake of Faruk Kabir to even think that he was making a great film, which will be setting new trends in the Industry. Dreaming on the same lines he makes every actor on the screen do some overacting and go over the top where they are shouting, laughing and walking in a style which is a bit more than what was actually needed.

The second mistake he has made is to cast himself in the role of Yakub who is one of the two lead characters in the story. Frankly speaking he himself comes out to be the most unfit and over the top actors on the screen in that role and he surely should have chosen someone else to do it for him. On the other hand, Sharman Joshi as his only childhood friend turned gangster delivers a very well controlled and polished performance playing the role of Vijay, which even goes one step ahead of his effortless performance in 3 IDIOTS.

Apart from these two key characters, there is Naseeruddin Shah as their cunning Jail Warden, who excels in his transformed character of a beggar in the second half. Atul Kulkarni as the truthful teacher and Zakhir Hussain as their gangster aid play their roles perfectly. But Anjana Sukhani and Rukhsaar are not given enough scenes to prove themselves. Suhasini Mulay as the mother of kids is impactful, whereas the kids have done it a bit louder as I mentioned before. Cinematography using the actual slum locations makes the film watchable getting good support from its background music department. But at the same time, the second half also makes you yawn at several moments since you already know what’s going to happen next.

Post intermission, there are two sequences worth mentioning here which are quite opposite to each other in terms of merit. The first sequence featuring Sharman Joshi (as a gangster) and Naseeruddin Shah (as a beggar), defining forgiveness, puts the director in the top bracket for conceiving it with such brilliance. But the second sequence of setting fire to the body of a teenager boy (lying on a four wheeler vegetable seller’s cart) by his own teacher, in front of a group of children of 5-15 years of age, raises many questions on the sensibility, morality and thought process of the director’s mind. Truly speaking, I was just thinking of walking out of the theater after watching this unbelievable kind of scene shot in the name of creativity.

So, in all ALLAH KE BANDE can just be appreciated for its decent kind of effort made by its first time director. But talking about everything else, it goes well over the top, exploiting the same old theme of slums, child-crime, gangsters and gang wars for the nth time along with some erratic writing. Hence it would be better to watch the ongoing popular serials on the small screen having a good time in your homes and don’t even think of watching it with your entire family in the theaters.

Rating : 1.5 / 5 (An extra 1 point only for the sequence between the young Sharman and the old Naseer)

(By Bobby Sing from www.bobbytalkscinema.com)