Saturday 29 June 2013

Vote for Savio Barnes in JHALAK DIKHLA JA.





Hi Friends,

I would like to not only wish many many happy returns of the day to my dear buddy SAVIO BARNES but also share a wonderful news with you guys n gals that even after the exit of Meghna Malik from Jhalak Dikhla Ja,  SAVIO BARNES is making a comeback in the show and the best part is the timing as he is coming back on his B'day which is today itself.
It is because of his efforts coupled with good wishes of you guys that he has come back on Jhalak and this time he is going to be choreography partner of Shweta Tiwari. 

I would like you all to please continue supporting him via SMS, his code is  : SHW 56882
                                      
 ROHIT SHARMA.
 rohitreview@gmail.com

Saturday 22 June 2013

Movie Review of " RAANJHANAA ".

















Before i pen down my review of RAANJHANAA, i would like to commend the  vision   as well as implementation of  director ANAND.L.RAI who has given us two back to back stunningly different love stories namely TANU WEDS MANU & RAANJHANAA. Although, both of them have a common premise of being based in small towns but the thought process of romance in both the movies is in total contrast. The focus is on emotions here and RAANJHANAA is akin to a container that encloses myriad emotions such as affection, abhorrence, penance, euphoria and betrayal. On surface, this may seem like an uncomplicated story, but scratch the exterior and there's a strong undercurrent of emotions ready to explode and engulf you... Embellished with a taut screenplay and super performances, RAANJHANAA easily charms its way into your heart! It’s a brilliant defiant moment defining the contradictions and savage ironies of romantic associations. Raanjhanaa tells us, it is not so cool to fall in love. Unless you’re ready to slither on the ground for love, if the need arises. 
The film celebrates the pain of heart-brokenness. She slaps him? That’s fine. He loves her all the more for it. She turns his proposal down?   That’s okay. He’ll do it again...and ... again. It’s the protagonist’s single-mindedness that navigates this enchanting love story through a series of circumstances that make Kundan look as brazen as they make destiny look.


STORY & SCREENPLAY                  :       A big credit goes to HIMANSHU SHARMA who has not only written the story but he has also penned the screenplay as well as the dialogues of this flick. In fact, he did the same for Anand's last flick Tanu Weds Manu also. Simplicity and unfussiness catches your eye/attention right away in this world of flashy and ostentatious makeovers. Initially, RAANJHANAA manages to hook you with the atmospherics, but the ingenious narrative and worthy performances win you over gradually. The romance, the simplistic lines, the heartbreak... the film transports you to a different zone altogether. The dream-like world gives the impression of being pure and unadulterated initially, but this illusory world is soon shattered by reality [read corrupted by greed and power] as the plot thickens.  It's not the customary love yarn we spectators are habituated to watching on the Hindi screen. The sequences between the lead pair are humorous and endearing, with some distinctive moments. There are heartrending and distressing flashes too and also sequences that astonish... that's when you put your hands together for the screenwriter and also the director for being so unconventional, so original, so innovative. I 'll say its the kind of a movie that comes once in a while and it is phenomenally striking movie which will strike your emotions to the core.........you will either love it or hate it. But never the less, it a refreshingly different bold attempt to offer something out of the blues. I apologize as this time i am not going  to divulge the story-line as i want you to relish the proceedings by watching it on-screen. Look for subtext - Rai goes well beyond a mere romance; he makes political statements, attacks communal ism, gives us a slice of life insider account of youth wing statecraft; it's all there. It may not be entirely authentic and often exaggerated, but in Raanjhanaa's world, Rai strives to make it real.

  STARCAST                                  :   Dhanush, who makes his Hindi film debut with RAANJHANAA, is simply outstanding. To state that he's the mainstay of the film would be most appropriate. You take back his innocence, his dedication for his beloved, his emotions as you exit the auditorium. Here's a performance that deserves an ovation! The actor in Sonam was waiting for a role that would make the spectator sit up and notice it and the one in RAANJHANAA gives her that opportunity. The headstrong and emotional persona comes across so well in this film. In addition, like DELHI 6, she's devoid of makeup and that makes the character so appealing. This film is a huge leap frontward for Sonam as an actor. Abhay Deol is understated, but effectual in a special appearance. It's a superior act, something you've come to expect from the talented actor. The supporting cast is unblemished and each of them pitches in a superior performance. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub is a talent to watch out for. He's remarkable as Dhanush's friend. Swara Bhaskar is equally fab in a role that offers her plenty of scope to display histrionics. Watch her expressions when she confronts Sonam in Hospital by saying " The guy ( Dhanush ) admitted inside is not my man, as my man never oozed blood from his mouth". Kumud Mishra is first-rate as father of Sonam and completely justifies the character assigned to him..Although Vipin Sharma gets very little time on-screen but he dazzels whenever he appears with powerful expressions and a very confident body language. Sujata Kumar who comes in the penultimate moments of the movie is first-rate as the scheming politician. Rahul Shanklya, deserves appreciation for choosing the apt actors as per the characters they have to portray. 

TECHNICAL FINESSE                      :  The music of Raanjhanaa has been composed by the Oscar winner and music maestro i.e. A.R.RAHMAN but i found it to be very average especially in comparison to the fine music that he has composed in his earlier movies. It is good & hummable too, but it is not something that lingers on your mind for a longer period of time. The man behind the lens and responsible for the visual appeal of the movie as a Cinematographer is N.Natrajan.Subramaniam. He has done his job with lot of finesse and he has ably captured the locales of  Varanasi in an enchanting manner and has also been able to capture the various shades of emotions in the background with lot of aesthetics. E.Hemal.Kothari is first grade as an editor and has edited the movie in such a crisp manner that you wont find a single dull moment during its run-time of 141 minutes. ANAND. L.RAI is the one who has managed this show being the director and deserves adequate applause for not only doing his work with utmost sincerity but also entertaining Cine lovers by giving a memorable love story. Anand elicits the conservative/old school middle class setting wonderfully well. The milieu and narrative wholly absorb you, making you believe that you're as much part of the goings-on. Furthermore, the director uses only expressions -- without resorting to heavy-duty dialogue in few sequences -- delightfully.

WOW MOMENTS                       :     The scene where Dhanush enjoys getting slapped by Sonam is very witty. In fact most of his scenes in the first half where he is chasing Sonam are full of  humor, the best part is that the humor which arises is natural and not forced. And the intense manner in which he rebukes the minister in second half of movie is worth watching.

CONCLUSION                               :              On the whole, RAANJHANAA encompasses romance and myriad emotions most wonderfully, besides bravura performances and a popular musical score from the maestro. A film that touches the core of your heart. Angry, aggressive, passionate, temperamental, moody and quite simply majestic Raanjhanaa is an opulent epic seductive raging and rippling ode to love. It’s a brilliant defiant moment defining the contradictions and savage ironies of romantic associations. A film that's definitely worthy of a watch. Not to be missed !

 ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com

Sunday 16 June 2013

Movie Review of " FUKREY ".

 















FUKREY has come like a whiff of fresh air especially for audience who relish comic cinema which is laden with genuine wit, humor & laughter which comes naturally as the screenplay progresses and is not forcibly injected through irrelevant punches in between. Mrigdeep Singh Lamba, has succeeded in making a movie which has got something hugely infectious about the exuberance of youth and most of us can relate to the characters of  Hunny, Choocha, Manjot or Zafar. Can't say about you guys, but I have no qualms in admitting that i could relate to most of their activities as me n my buddies have done most of those activities in student life( Admitting to have been a fukra myself ). I still remember how desperately we guys used to pray to almighty for blessing us with our first love, first kiss, made gerris of streets where girls lived just to have a glimpse, used to address each other's GFrnd as Bhabhi G n all. That is probably why Fukrey, a comedy about four Delhi boys in a tearing hurry to realize their dreams against all odds, appears to exude much greater energy n exuberance than it intrinsically possesses. All in all, Fukrey is a complete fun ride loaded with several moments which make you roll with laughter in your seats.        

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                :   FUKREY, with its inventive plot and wickedly spot-on characterizations is the kind of apt, rare and precious comedy which comes once in a while.  The story n screenplay has been written by MRIGDEEP S. LAMBA  & VIPUL VIG, what schemers masquerading as daydreamers this delicious romp into the Delhi's rumbling underbelly the writers have thrown forward. This fiercely individualistic style of storytelling makes you visit those places in Delhi where stereotypes of middle class ( Girl courting boy from next rooftop, boys dreaming of attending college filled with girls in short skirts, Calling hollywood movie Inception as Inspection ) flicker into shapes. Many of its punch lines are quite funny, and some of the desperate measures that the quartet is compelled to take recourse in order to wriggle out of sticky situations border on the uproarious.The story’s backdrop consists of corrupt and depraved ministers, thieves, money-minded teachers, and the unspoken premise that the only way to survive and rise above middle-class circumstances is to be part of a circle of cheats—the kind of vapid, humdrum thinking that abounds in our film writing. The four are on a mission. Three of them want to join the local college and befriend the college’s security guard, the go-to guy for buying seats there. Through him they meet Zafar, who is already a student. We see Zafar, a recluse who wants to be known for his music, scribble on paper and strum his guitar in desolate corners, a lonely, inarticulate guy who represents idealism in the story. He abandons that idealism and joins the gang when he sees his father in a sorry state in a crummy hospital. Choocha and Hunny have been making money from the lottery, their wins explained by a fuzzy logic related to Choocha’s dreams. They try to get Bholi Punjaban, a foul-mouthed pimp and drug-seller, to lend them money for lottery tickets. She agrees, on her terms. Trouble ensues.

STARCAST                                                         :    Like many movies about the maturing and mellowing of obnoxious men just past their teens, Fukrey’s premise is the desire for mediocrity and what college campuses decide is “coolness”. These are boys without much hope. They are backbenchers and dreamers conscious and accepting of systemic corruption—intellectually impotent and hence, seemingly “lifelike”.The buddy movie in Hindi cinema, in surfeit in recent times, always rests on the comical charm of floozy men, and Fukrey is no different. Fukrey’s casting is almost perfect. Pulkit Samrat (Hunny)  is the film’s hero and the camera is always on him, even savouring his gestures in slo-mo. He is cute and efficient. Manjot Singh (Lalli) plays the most real character here though he’s handed a shtick that’s as funny as it’s bizarre. It involves his Bullet, a druggie and a random passerby. Manjot Singh has shattered many clichés. This sardarji is an adorable, gentle, sweet-talking boy who always wears his heart on his sleeve. But it is Varun Sharma (Choocha) who bowls you over with excellent comic expressions as he has got the meatiest dialogues in the movie and he has proved the confidence vested in him. Ali Fazal (Zafar)plays the character of a recluse with ease who is the most grounded amongst all his male counterparts. Now coming to the ladies, Richa Chadda plays the foul-mouthed Bholi Punjaban with the temper and chutzpah of a woman who unleashes her sardonic ferocity in a  mirror-surrounded gym with conviction. Priya Anand (Priya), is a talented actress who has performed smartly as per her character. Vishakha Singh (Neetu) who although has a short role to play but still she has managed to make her presence felt. Pankaj Tiwari (Pandit) shines in everything he does, but Bollywood seems to be reducing him to a flunkey’s role as here he plays a security guard of a college who is street smart. So, some credit must be given to Honey Trehan, who is the casting director of this flick.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                   :   Ram Sampath, has done an excellent job as the music director of this movie by giving some real varied compositions in tune with the script. In fact, Amritsariya track has already become a rage and is featuring in almost all countdowns. The camera of K.U. Mohanan who is the cinematographer of this movie has captured locales of Delhi in an efficient way and deserves applause. The editor of the movie is Anand Subaya who has done an outstanding job by keeping humor as well as tempo of the movie free flowing all through its run-time. The director of the movie is Mrigdeep Singh Lamba (whose debut movie Teen They Bhai was appreciated by some critics but was not a big success at box office), has hit jackpot this time as the film’s direction — its comic timing, on-location shooting which captures Delhi’s flavour — portrays a skillful mastery. Lamba extracts his humour from the academically challenged boys’ desperate fraudulent measures to get ahead in life who are ready to go to any extent in pursuit of their dreams.

WOW MOMENTS                                          :   Although, the whole movie is laden with comic moments but watch out for the  Bhagwati Jagrata scene where you will find natural humor at its best when Choocha is made to run. How choocha proposes Bholi Punjaban will make u roar with splits.

CONCLUSION                                                   :  It is a cinematic treat for those who believe in wit and humor that comes from characters in the screenplay and not through those pricky faces speaking foul mouthed dialogues. Lamba exaggerates one quality of each character to establish them as different from each other, and unites them in the grand cheating scheme. Chadda’s character is characterized by a neurotic sort of pluck and brazenness. She makes the boys grovel and beg. So go n watch it for sure.

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com

Friday 14 June 2013

Vote for Savio Barnes in JHALAK DIKHLA JAA.


                                                                                                           


  1. Hi Friends,
I would like you guys n gals to please vote & support my friend SAVIO BARNES in Jhalak Dikhla Ja Season 6. Savio is choreographer   of Meghna Malik (Amma G) for this season of JDJ-6. I have met Savio only a couple of times when he came to Choreograph few songs of movie "NAUGHTY JATTS" but even in that  short duration, i could make out that he is an excellent choreographer who is dedicated and above all a great human being also. One more reason for us to vote for him is his love for Punjab as he forayed into regional cinema via Punjabi Cinema only & has choreographed songs for Punjabi movie. He is very much accustomed to Punjabi music n Punjabis as earlier his three partners in Jhalak Dikhla Ja were Punjabis. He is in awe with Punjabi culture,cuisines and their Happy go lucky nature as well as loves travelling to Punjab and being with Punjabis.   

To vote & support him, you can SMS : meg to 56882
                                      
 ROHIT SHARMA.
 rohitreview@gmail.com

Sunday 9 June 2013

YAMLA PAGLA DEEWANA : Movie Review.


Word of Caution :    My sincere advice is that before watching a shindig like this, you gulp down couple of Patiala Pegs (Dharam G's kinds) to make your senses go dull else it will be a problem for you to sit all through this ordeal called YPD-2. If you are one of those who thought the first segment of this farcical franchise was painful and labored, then wait till you see what the sequel has in store. Although, YPD 2 is bigger in canvas & more grandeur in terms of cultural leaps made from Punjab to London.To tell you the fact,even original YPD was also not a rib tickling flick but we still enjoyed camaraderie of Deols who even mocked at their own individual images and took light hearted digs at Santa Banta. Alias, the sequel is laced with numerous ridiculous moments, sketchy characters, unflattering camera angles and is unimaginably insipid and tedious The makers try to invoke laughter by including an orangutan, but the movie is so messy that no orangutan, dragon or dinosaur can rescue it.     

SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                           :   The honor for writing the story of YPD 2 has been bestowed upon Lynda Deol & to Jaswinder Bath for screenplay. Those who don't know about Lynda, lemme tell you that she is none other than wife of Sunny Deol. Suffice it to say that the farcical saga takes the three main characters forward on the same moral equilibrium as the first film.  What.....you still want to know storyline...As you wish, Kahani begins in Benaras where The father Dharmendra (God bless his affable screen persona) and the younger son Bobby are certifiable rogues. The other turbaned elder son Sunny is upright, no-nonsense living in London and working as a kind of recovery chief for a bank. Dharmendra & Bobby  seek entry into a London businessman’s home, posing as the owners of a certain Oberoi Group of industries. Oberoi ‘pranaam’ is their preferred greeting. While I see everybody holding an iPad, they’ve obviously never been to Google, which is good. Quick search would give this game away. The London bizman (Anu Kapoor) has two young girls in his house – one is his daughter, the other is not. Bobby boy nets the wrong girl first, tries for the right one later. Sunny D is the conscious one who wants to wreck this con plan. Bobby D poses as an artist later to impress the London bizman’s daughter. A chimpanzee accidentally starts playing with colours on his clean canvas. He sells that rubbish as his own abstract painting. The world is in tears, auction houses go nuts while he becomes the “next Picasso”. You think to yourself, if that is art, then surely this is a film. Yes, it is. From starting, the film weaves in and out of a plodding mass of episodes, each one more strenuous and laboured than the previous.

STARCAST                                                       :    All the three Deols have their own strengths and look great together but they have been badly let down by shoddy storyline, screenplay.  Dharmendra is an icon who still has enough acts up his sleeve to charm you  even after crossing 70 but it was real painful to see him being reduced to a mere parodic shadow of his old flamboyant utterly unaffected self in this cheerless travesty masquerading as a comedy. But still he manages to invoke quite a bit laughter with his spontaneous acting in some of his scenes. Sunny Deol, our own Punjab ka puttar tries hard but is not able to impress much as there is nothing much in the script for him to emote and just remains confined to Desi He-man doing dare devilry. But it is Bobby Deol who has looked very dashing and oozes loads of confidence into his character portrayal. He lends a certain charm to his performance and emotes perfectly in sync with his character of a swindler who loves to flirt. I was saddened by the fact that fine actors like Anupam Kher, Johnny Lever and Anu Kapoor have been given to play such pathetically ridiculous characters. Anupam Kher who has shown his witty side by playing various comic roles looks at his silliest best in the character of Joginder Armstrong and is not able to raise any guffaws. But not to worry, he is not the only sufferer as same is the case with Johnny Lever and Sucheta Khanna whose screen names in the flick are Bunty & Babli and have been given equally bad scenes to perform.The duo have been shown as aides of Anupam who keep on chasing Sunny Deol by donning several get ups varying from SRK Don & his kewl catty , Sardar Sardarni, Chinese couple and keep on testing your patience. No wonder that in the movie Sunny recognizes them whichever get up they come in, Arrre itna irritate karoge to koi bhi pehchaan lega. Anu Kapoor, also sails in the same boat with not much to work upon as an actor in this movie. Coming to the two gorgeous leading ladies of this movie that is Neha Sharma & Kristina Akheeva who have been paired opposite Bobby n Sunny respectively. Neha has come out impressive and looked confident enough in her Avatar of a bubbly, bindaas babe who is a Salman Khan fan. Kristina looks good but is not able to emote well n she should be thankful that she was paired opposite Sunny, hence she has been able to scrape through.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                      :             The music for this movie has been composed by duo of Sharib-Toshi, who have done a very average kind of a job with the kind of tracks they have belted. Cinematographer of  YPD 2 is  Neha Parti who has not been able to impress much with respect the kind of locations where movie has been shot. The visuals as well as the lighting has come out ordinary kinds. Peter Hein has been credited for being the action director of YPD 2 and he has done fine although some of the action is very difficult to digest (But Kee Fark painda hai when Punjabi Puttar Sunny is there, lotta audience expect unbelievable action).The editing of the movie has been done by Chirag Jain but the two hour forty minutes runtime is huge for one to witness this unabsorbing drama. Santosh Sivan, the director pays no serious attention whatsoever to plotting, storytelling, demarcating a character, building lucidity or giving logics. There are very less 'Laugh Out Loud' moment in the entire lengthy proceeding stretching into two hours 40 minutes of a tale that wastes the talents of one of Bollywood's most celebrated film families. Sivan seems to be stuck in a rut using slapstick and double entendre dialogues to engage his audience. We wish he had evolved his sense of humor to suit the changing times.

OVER THE HEAD                                               :  Giving credit of being the worst scene to any one scene will be injustice and impartiality to other scenes who have also given their worst and are running contenders for OTH title.


WOW MOMENTS                                                    :   The scene where Bobby Deol acts and fights in S.K's dabangg ishtyle ( With hired goons )  to impress Neha will make you smile. Another scene where Bobby n Dharmendra blackmail Mr.Oberoi and present him in front of Anu Kapoor as their butler to impress him will raise guffaws.

CONCLUSION                                                                 : Watching YPD is like eating chicken chowmein at a  trashy joint where you get to bite into chicken nuggets after ingesting a lot of bland chowmein. While the taste entices you as long as it lasts in your mouth, the journey to relish the next juicy bite wading through stale vegetables pieces n washy sauces grows painfully tedious. I feel the makers have wasted a good opportunity to impress audience as they have not been able to invoke much laughter despite featuring all three Deols in their movie. Go n watch it only if you are real fan of Deol  family and enjoy the camaraderie between them.    

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com
   
                       

Tuesday 4 June 2013

" AURANGZEB " : Movie Review



ATUL SABHARWAL, 
the writer and director of the superb television series Powder, opens his debut movie with a lofty quote : " Deep in the cavern of infant's breast, The father's nature lurks, and lives anew."
AURANGZEB is one film that throws light on the dark underbelly of the National Capital Region that is known for being notoriously powerful and rich. AURANGZEB gives a fictitious visual reference to how humanity could be put to shame for wealth and power. It has a very Complex, intelligent plot that holds the promise of a taut thriller about power and money. But, at its heart, AURANGZEB is about family ties and relationships dominated by a parent son theme. Blood and ambition, the movie often reminds us are the choices that most of the characters have before them. For people living in NCR, it will be a treat to watch this film that doesn't just star the gauche metropolis that's growing both vertically and horizontally at a dizzy, greedy speed, but tells its story that though rooted in nostalgia, has a contemporary, cynical acceptance of the reality and knows how the game is played.


SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                                    :  At the thematic level, the writers have invested a lot in the screenplay by making it not merely a story of Good Vs Evil as shades of grey overwhelm. There is a delicate web of characters, who are always expected to double cross and have their moments of epiphanies that bring about a 180-degree turn in their conduct. And they don't disappoint as every ancillary player has more to them than meets the eye. The authorities have extensive, even human, backgrounds that motivate their every move. They both lack conscience, and are willing to pay any price for their goals. They are at loggerheads but it's impossible to pick a side.  ACP Arya (PRITHVIRAJ SUKUMAR) belongs to a family of police officers  and has great respect for his paternal uncle Ravikant (RISHI KAPOOR), who has raised him like his own son. Ravikant has a loving family - son Dev (SIKANDER KHER) who also is a police officer, his wife (DEEPTI NAVAL) and a daughter who is also married to a policeman. Arya seek's Ravikant's help to remove the blot on the image of his father (ANUPAM KHER), which he had suffered following an encounter. Before dying, Arya's father informs him about his second wife and son Vishal (ARJUN KAPOOR) and asks him to help them. Arya is deeply is influenced by his father's belief - SAPNON SE APNE BADE HOTE HAIN. And hence sets out on a mission along with his uncle Ravikant to give justice to his step-mother Veera (TANVI AZMI) and brother Vishal but he has no idea about the repreccursions. 0n the other hand Yashwardhan (JACKIE SHROFF) is a gangster plus tycoon who runs a huge real estate business in the region and has an affair with Neena ( AMRITA SINGH) who has also become his accomplice. His son Ajay (ARJUN KAPOOR) is a spoilt brat who has seen nothing but wealth in his life and seldom understands human emotions.  So, how these two tracks coincide is for you to watch, but characters  digging into their performances will leave you spellbound right from start to finish.            
       

STARCAST                                                         :  This is the strongest aspect of this movie and due credit must be given to the team especially director and casting director for choosing the right caliber actors as per their characters. Watch out ARJUN KAPOOR as Ishqzaade was just a sneek peek of his acting skills. Here he essays and serves up his double whammy in a fine manner and succeeds in demarcating the traits of both Ajay as well as Vishal, still he needs to polish his emoting skills more. RISHI KAPOOR is simply brilliant and it seems as if this guy has re-invented himself, he is giving us memorable performances one after other and that too in negative characters. Coming to PRITHVIRAJ who made his Bollywood debut with dud called AIYA is another surprise package and sweeps you over with his intensity. His expressions, body language and gestures are so full of poise, confidence and he carries them throughout the flick. But the best part is that i saw our own JACKIE  DADA SHROFF acting in a movie after a long long time.  Surprised.........yes, i agree that he has been present in lot of movies recently but i am talking about acting n not just presence. Lately, in most movies he has played various characters but  with same expressions, body language, dance which were full of ham. Another veteran who is seen is AMRITA SINGH who has played her role to perfection with complete ease. Not to forget, SASHA AAGHA who is the latest  to join the bandwagon of hotties whose presence is merely meant to tweak the oomph quota of Bolly flicks. Their role is more to entice a certain audience with their physical assets rather than their acting & emoting skills.Even the Ensemble cast consisting of SIKANDER KHER, DEEPTI NAWAL, ANUPAM KHER, DEEPTI NAWAL, SWARA BHASKAR  TANWI AZMI have all played their individual roles with perfection.


TECHNICAL FINESSE                               :                                    Music for this movie has been composed by AMARTYA RAHUT along with VIPIN MISHRA but has not turned to be that good. A couple of tracks especially Kabira impress a bit but overall the album is very average. Background music by VIPIN MISHRA is astounding and is totally in tandem with proceedings in the screenplay. Another person who deserves due credit is the casting director of the movie, SHANOO SHARMA whose choice of actors has been spot on.  The convolutions and contrivances in Sabharwal's screenplay lead to yet another inevitability - A MEXICAN STYLE SHOOTOUT in which everybody points guns at everybody else and 80 % of the cast conveniently gets blown off the screen. He has been able to pull off these scenes with a panache with excellent support from cinematographer N KARTHIK GANESH and action director SHYAM KAUSHAL who have added the slickness to the proceedings. The movie has been edited by NEERAJ VORALIA who has done an excellent job as he has packed the proceedings in such a way that you rarely find a dull moment in the movie. Director ATUL SABHARWAL really deserves adulation as he has tried to bring new ideas to the cliche that blood is thicker than water. He's made a movie which is spilling over with characters that conform to the popular stereotype of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb - a ruthless power hungry maniac whose path to throne is littered with bodies of his own family members. The difference being that here you have a boardroom instead of battleground and a bottomed-out war chest becomes loss making balance sheet.  Although, the movie fizzles out in the long run as it becomes difficult to balance so many characters but still its a commendable effort & Kudos to Atul for believing and making an intelligent cinema.      

OVER THE HEAD                                                   :           The biggest drawback of the movie which baffled me is that when cops kidnap Ajay & send Vishal to his home, no-one including Ajay's father, girlfriend is able to identify that he is not Ajay but just an  impersonator. Although, this is a normal norm in Bolly movies but not expected from an intelligent hard hitting cinema like this.

WOW MOMENTS                                                             :      Watch out for the scene when Ajay is Kidnapped, His grilling by Arya n Ravikant,  Ajay's confidence inspite of being held captive, speaks for itself. There are so many other scenes which have been brilliantly shot and performed.                                                                                                                                                        

CONCLUSION                                                            :         This is a movie that aspires to be about the mini empires that exist within and often work against the Indian Republic and Democracy which has laid out equal rights for all citizens. Kingship knows no kinship, based on this philosophy Atul has dished out an exotic fare which leaves you wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.
 But inevitably falls short in the end as of the cliches put in to make a successful bolly movie. Still, If you are a movie connoisseur than this movie might relish your cinematic senses as it is not only slick and racy but has extracted sellout performances from every actor, including those playing bit roles. 

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com
   
                            

Movie Review Of RANGEELAY

J


" RANGEELAY " as title made me assume a vibrant flick filled with colorful characters providing ample entertainment, but alias it turned out to be more of Black & White right from the onset. It was really disheartening to watch Rangeelay turn into a whimsical movie, scene after scene and that too when it has some very good actors backed up by talented technical crew. More disturbing fact is that this movie has come out when most of its predecessor Punjabi flicks have not only earned good moolah but also won accolades.The biggest culprit is its done to death, excessively monotonous n whimsical plot & screenplay which is full of cliches. Hardly 10 minutes into the movie and you start getting a feel as if everyone on screen is either sleep walking or the makers are in a real hurry to finish off the proceedings to catch a plane back home.


SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                                                                           :  Frankly speaking the movie lacks in almost all the aspects of film-making but the biggest setback has come from the story n screenplay which has been penned by DHEERAJ RATTAN,  which is again a big shocker as he is a guy who is master of his trade. But this time he has gone completely off the track and served audience a mixture consisting of  various potpourri scripts that we have watched earlier. In fact, the screenplay is so haggard and sinew that most of characters suffer double irony i.e. they are underdeveloped and also end very abruptly. The complete focus of entire script, screenplay as well as even dialogues is only on one character which has been portrayed by JIMMY SHERGILL who is the also the producer of this movie. Although Jimmy  is a very talented actor who has given some commendable performances but Alias, even he could not save this sinking Titanic with his skills as he is not cut out for such a character.The movie is a tale of three friends who act as recovery agents for a money lender who operates from a make shift office by the name of Rangeelay Fynance Company. One fine day, they are asked to go for recovery of a Scooty but due to some confusion they pick up wrong Scooty which (without any guesses) belongs to Simmy, the female lead. Simmy, who lives with her uncles and granny, is equally loved and adored by all. Although her uncles are real brothers but they dont see eye to eye as one is a retired DSP and the other is a retired Army officer. Although Sunny successfully recovers the scooty but in the process looses his heart and begins Sunny Te Simmi di Love Story which is full of glitches, bad jokes and completely forgettable moments.

STARCAST                                                                                                      :    Although Rangeelay boasts about having star studded actors but, Alias, even they could not enliven the proceedings as they have been miscast. How can filmmakers expect excellent performances from actors when they are given a character which is not cut for them from any angle. Lately, JIMMY SHERGILL has proved his acting credentials by giving stupendous performances in movies like SPECIAL 26, SAHEB BIWI GANGSTER, WEDNESDAY ..... Jimmy has given his best again to give a powerful performance But he never looks at complete ease while portraying Sunny, a muscleman recovery agent who falls in love & tries all antics to woo her lady love including enacting a fake identity of a rich NRI. NEHA DHUPIA has marked her entry into Pollywood with this movie and does not disappoint by giving a good performance although she also suffers the irony of portraying a character which is not properly sketched. But, for me the biggest disappointment of the movie came from the character sketching of comedy stalwart BINNU DHILLON. How can a writer or director claim his movie to be real witty with fun quotient when he makes one of the best comical talents like  BINNU  to just stand in the frame sans any punches. JASWINDER BHALLA has managed to impress once again with his dialect.
RANA RANBIR, SHIVENDER MAHAL, TEJ SAPRU, RANA JUNG BAHADUR form the rest of the ensemble cast.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                                                 :  JAIDEV KUMAR has given the music for this flick and has not come up with a perfect score. Music  plays a vital role in success of a movie especially when its a romantic flick but in this case music fails to stir your emotions apart from one track  i.e. "Boliyaan. Cinematographer of the movie is JITAN HARMEET SINGH who has done an average job with respect to the resources that he had. Another drawback is that makers have not paid any stress on locations too which at times looks gawdy and out of sync. Editing of the movie has been done by MANISH MORE who despite his best efforts could not rescue the inevitable fate of the movie. Generally most editors are in a dilemma as to which scenes should be cut as most look outstanding but in this case it would have been opposite i.e. which scene to be included in final print as all are equally bad. NAVANIAT SINGH from whom Punjabi audience had a lot of expectations has seriously disappointed by making such a nerve shattering whimsical movie which can put you off to sleep.There is not even a single aspect of movie making in which the movie excels or impresses. In fact after a few reels you start getting an impression that this movie is going no-where as lot of scenes are left unfinished.

 WOW MOMENTS                                                                                   : Firstly, I apologize for not writing anything and skipping this section but i could not help it. Reason being i could never expect the movie to be such a big disappointment and that too when Punjabi Cinema is on a roll and going great guns.

OVER THE HEAD                                                                                :  Giving credit of being the worst scene to any one shot will be injustice to others as all of them are equally bad.

CONCLUSION                                                                                      :  Although, the makers were trying to make an impressive love story which has never been attempted in Punjabi cinema but ALIAS ! It looks like a confusion of highest order as the movie fails to concentrate on any genre and virtually becomes a  potpourri with no fragrance. More than anyone else, my heart feels for JIMMY & NEHA who despite of being high caliber actors have been wasted completely.

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com      

Monday 3 June 2013

YEH JAWANI HAI DIWANI - MOVIE REVIEW




Ayan Mukerjee lays out an elaborate languorous game-plan for a romantic liaison between two discernibly incompatible human beings who just happen to be thrown together in two very stylishly planned scenarios, shot with panoramic panache in Manali, Spain and Udaipur, in a screenplay that revels in silences rather than screams. Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani (YJHD) is a very confident film. Outwardly it exudes the air of being a conventional boy-meets-girl saga but scratch the surface, and out comes a modern take on ambition, love  as well as friendship. The film has packaged its lead duo smartly to live up to its jawaani-deewani tag. It's more of jawaani than diwani, though.  The joys, hopes, angst and despair of youth are all served with a designer-perfect punch through the story of four youngsters. At the same time a rom-com, a road movie and a coming-of-age trip, Ayan's new film should keep its target audience - the urban multiplex crowd - happy.

SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                                       :  The script as well as screenplay is the brainchild of Ayan Mukerjee who showcased sparks of brilliance in his last flick Wake Up Sid. No wonder, this script carries the same subject further but he has widened the focal point of this script to aspirations, love and friendship through well sketched characters. In a startling subversion of convention Ayan Mukerjee very often allows his  characters to seek out their own destination in a journey where unpredictability is not usually a possibility. In YJHD Ranbir and Deepika Padukone, both in their element, are not afraid to do those things that couples in our mainstream films are generally forbidden from doing. Indeed the central romance develops with the kind of unassuming naturalness that we rarely find in our over-cooked love stories. In the story-line, Ranbir's Bunny is a videographer for a TV travel show while Deepika plays Naina, doctor in the making who takes off on a trek trip to Manali to let off steam. Their few good traits will evidently rub off on each other. Tagged along are Bunny's buddies, the drifter Avi (Aditya Roy Kapur) and the tomboy Aditi (Kalki). Naina joins the wild trio and is obviously the odd one out. The holiday ends, the foursome parts ways, only to reunite years later at Aditi's marriage (yes, it's a K.Jo production so we won't miss the scope for the shaadi naach gaana). What follows is meant to twist the Bollywood romance but being a commercial flick it has to end with a happy climax, which it does. The best part about YJHD, is that the script does not re-istrict itself to just that typical candy floss love but pays focus on all aspects of relationships. The Ranbir-Aditya duo has one very interesting confrontational sequence in the second-half where director Ayan Mukerjee allows the pair to let its stressful relationship play itself out without extraneous pressure. That, we soon realize , is the beauty of this film.

STARCAST                                                                            :    Casting of movie is one of the biggest factors that decides fate of the movie, choosing the right actors in sync with characters amounts to half the battle won and this is where YJHD scores brownie points. Ranbir Kapoor (Bunny) of course, is a natural-born student of the cool-school. Though here his character and performance lack the uncut raw innocence of Ayan Mukerjee’s Wake Up Sid, Ranbir still plays a self-centred commitment-phobic with extraordinary self-assurance. Remember, its not easy to perform a character who is part rebel, part Sufi, and wholly afflicted with wanderlust and also very much a playboy Bunny. As usual, Ranbir once again manages to charm audience and sweep lotta girls off their feet. Deepika Padukone (Naina), is the girl who throws off her chashma, not afraid to make a spectacle of herself (heh heh) gets into her character’s skin. She is a revelation to herself and to the audience. Hers is also a very complex character to play as she is sheltered, a doctor in the making, and has never stepped out of her city on her own. He teaches her to live, to be alive and although She falls in love, wants to be with him but never reveals cause she understands that they can never be. It is a remarkable performance from the lead pair whose chemistry is so phenomenally excellent  that it can only be understood by watching it on-screen. Kalki Koechlin gets a complex, meaty part and pulls it off with a batty quality that she's always borne. Aditya Roy Kapoor plays his two distinct personas with equal ease and in fact both Kalki & Aditya have played their characters with aplomb. The film boasts—or perhaps that is not the word to use, since unnecessary bravado is not an easily obtainable commodity here—of some well-written cameo characters played by very skilled actors like Dolly Ahluwalia, Tanve Azmi, Farouq Shaikh and even Kunaal Roy Kapoor who inhabit Naina and Bunny’s world just long enough to let us know how disparate the world of two made-for-each-other people can be, and how desperate their need to find a mutual centre.        

TECHNICAL FINESEE                                                      :  Pritam, once again has given excellent music and seems to have completely understood the need of the hour as far as Bolly music is concerned. Some of the tracks have already conquered top positions in music charts and can be heard playing all over the party circuit. Another highlight of the movie is its breathtaking locales which have been aesthetically captured by the cinematographer of this movie i.e. V.Manikanadan. He has done stupendously well and has shown his mastery by capturing various colors & shades which coincide with mood of the screenplay. The editor of the movie is Akiv Ali, who unfortunately has come under firing range of many critics with respect to length of movie. But, i feel it is very difficult when you sit on editing table for a movie in which all stars have given excellent performances, shot on exotic locales, has chart-busting numbers. Dialogues of the movie have been penned by Hussain Dalal who has done fantastic job by cleverly using all the so called Hinglish words being used these days. Do i need to write anything about Ayan Mukerjee who is the victorious commander in chief of this movie unit and has proved that Sid's Wake Up call was not a false alarm and he is here for a longer innings. The best part about the overall movie is that Ayan Mukerjee provides ample space for his characters to breathe and manifest their innermost secrets and insecurities without the fear of appearing less ‘cool’ than they would like the world to think.
   
OVER THE HEAD                                                    :    There are few moments where the movie disappoints but yes one thing which hit me hard was the character sketch of Kunal Roy Kapoor, especially when one can easily understand that he is being deliberately made to act foolishly funny.    

WOW MOMENTS                                                     :   When Naina and Bunny make a sortie up a snowy haunted peak; when they complete each other's sentences knowing exactly what's on the other's mind; when they build a picture of their perfect lives - at complete odds with each other; and dorky characters who're secret heroes.


CONCLUSION                                                            : A ravishing rollicking romp into the realm of romance done in a rush of emotions , experience and incidents that ring true, YJHD is a delightful pilgrimage into precocity and introspection.  
 

ROHIT SHARMA.
Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105
rohitreview@gmail.com