Movie Review : Love Sex aur Dhokha (LSD) – 2011

Posted on July 11, 2013 by amodini

Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2011
Running time : 1 hour 43 minutes
Director : Dibakar Banerjee
Cast : Nusrat Bharucha, Neha Chauhan, Raj Kumar Yadav, Anshuman Jha, Herry Tangri, Arya Banerjee, Amit Sial
Kid rating : A

I’ve been trying to watch this film for a very long time. It wasn’t avaibale in the local desi stores; in fact most of the shopkeepers hadn’t even heard of the name. Finally I’ve found the film at spuul.com.

This has three stories, each displaying a different emotion. The stories are interconnected in that the characters in the story know the ones in the other stories. The first is about film actress Shruti Dahiya (Nusrat Bharucha) and film director Rahul Kumar (Anshuman Jha). This is Rahul’s first film, a low-budget one in which Shruti stars. Shruti and Rahul both have big ambitions and want to be together but Shruti’s father, a boorish, greedy sort of a man has other plans for her.

The second is about Shruti’s friend Rashmi (Neha Chauhan). A fatherless girl Rashmi works as a shopgirl in a big department store. Typically middle-class, she keeps to herself and won’t hobnob with Adarsh (Raj Kumar Yadav of Kai Po Che fame) who also works in the store, although he tries very hard to strike up a friendship with her. Adarsh is in some financial trouble and is being threatened by goons. His friend suggests a way out, a way that involves Rashmi.

The third story is about Prabhat, who gets shot in Rashmi’s department store. He is a journalist wishing to do real investigative work, but his editor is only interested in the scandals that will make news. One day Prabhat saves a girl Mrignaina (Arya Banerjee) from commiting suicide, and she tells him about singer Loki Local (Herry Tangri) and promises to get him a scoop.

This is an offbeat sort of a film. A lot of the film is viewed via cameras being held by the characters in the film. In the first, the protagonist is a director so we see many of the shots via his camera. In the second, the store in which Rashmi works has recently been fitted with surveillance cameras so we see much of the action via those. In the third the protagonist is a cameramen who takes his camera everywhere.

The film’s characters are etched with care and in great detail – quite commendable since each story is short and the film itself runs under 2 hours. The actors are fantastic. The stories showcase the grimy side of contemporary life – it is a commentary on the hypocrisy, greed and double-standards of society. Money rules. Characters, especially the women are straight-jacketed in society’s diktats of morality – so-called honor is highly valued but perceived to be easily lost.

A very good watch – highly recommended.

Posted in 2011, bollywood, drama, rating-A, rating-R, recommended | 2 Comments

Movie Review : Aashiqui 2

Posted on July 3, 2013 by amodini


Rating : 3/5
Genre : Romance
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Mohit Suri
Cast : Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor, Shaad Randhawa
Kid rating : PG-13

Rahul is a singer. We meet him when he is past his career’s prime, because of his alcoholism. One day, wandering about in a drunken haze in Goa, he comes across a singer in a beer bar. Entranced with the quality of her singing, he promises her singing stardom and does his best to promote her. Arohi Keshav Shirke (Shraddha) in due course becomes a big singer and also Rahul’s girlfriend. He loves her and she him, so what can possibly go wrong?

This is Aashiqui #2 from the Bhatt stable – you might remember the first one with floppy haired heartthrob Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal. Aditya and Shraddha Kapoor star here. Neither of them display mature acting, so the film’s kind of a washout from that side of things. Their freshness and innocence, especially Shraddha’s, does partially redeem the effort, but doesn’t make this sub-par film watchable. She is the daughter of yesteryear villain Shakti Kapoor and Himangi Kolhapure (sister of film actress Padmini Kolhapure) and first appeared in the regrettable Luv ka the End, as the lead. That film, I believe, sank like a stone, as it should have. Aditya has recently appeared in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani as Bunny’s friend Avi, and did seem to do well. So the dismal performance here is either first-film jitters or the fact that director Mohit Suri couldn’t eke it out of him like Ayan Mukherjee could.

Both actors show promise for future films if they can get a grip. Shraddha Kapoor is pretty enough (she goes on her mother, thankfully) and given a good director and some acting classes could do well in the industry. Aditya is good-looking in a gaunt, nerdy sort of a way – I can’t see him as leading man, but he’ll probably do well in multi-starrer films where the weight of the film isn’t on his broad shoulders alone.

Besides the (lack of) acting, the film suffers on scripting. The screenplay is jittery, given to fits and starts and awkward transitions. The story is as dull as ditch-water, and the characters not much better. Rahul seems to be a thoughtless cad given to extremes, smashing household items to smithereens and getting into brawls and fights, and Aarohi for all her love never can quite take a stand – she is the (problematic) epitome of the suffering Indian woman. I wasn’t invested in either’s well-being, so the film never quite takes off. The film’s characters are drawn with broad brush-strokes and colored in black and white – very little room for nuance or finesse here.

True to the Bhatt standards however, the film does have some nice melodies. There is “Tum hi ho” and “Chahoon Main Aana” which he sings to her and then she resings. Other than that, this film is a tepid watch. Instead of that, see this.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, rating-PG13, romance | Comments Off on Movie Review : Aashiqui 2

Movie Review : Ghanchakkar (2013)

Posted on June 29, 2013 by amodini

Rating : 3.8/5
Genre : Comedy/Suspense
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 17 minutes
Director : Rajkumar Gupta
Cast : Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Balan, Rajesh Sharma, Namit Das, Parvin Dabbas
Kid rating : PG-15

Now, Ghanchakkar is directed by Raj Kumar Gupta, the director of “No one killed Jessica”, which was OK, and “Aamir” which was fabulous. Given his more than decent track record I had high hopes from Ghanchakkar. Friday dawns and with it come the negative reviews. I was determined to watch this film though, because I didn’t think that Gupta could have stooped so low. And was I right! Despite all the poor reviews it is getting, I have to say that this film comes through – it is a pretty good comedy/thriller.

Sanjay Athray (Hashmi) is a top-notch safe-cracker/thief. Having decided to leave all his bad ways behind and walk the straight and narrow he is tempted into one last bank job by Pandit (Rajesh Sharma) and Idris (Namit Das). The robbery is a success and Sanjay and his partners decide to let things cool off and meet up again in three months to divvy up the loot. The money meanwhile, remains with Sanjay.

After three months, Pandit and Idris contact Sanjay but he refuses to recognize them. He’s apparently suffering from amnesia, because of an accident – i.e.; he’s forgotten certain things while remembering others. The money is one of the things he has forgotten about, along with his association with Pandit and Idris. Or at least, that’s what he says . . .

Ghanchakkar has a set of marvelous characters. There is Sanjay Atre himself – goofy and given to vacant stares, and his wife Neetu (Vidya Balan) a stout Punjaban who fancies herself well-dressed and “modern”. Then there are the bad guys – Pandit, an oily, avuncular goon, all stained teeth and cheap safari suit, and Idris, a rash, trigger-happy, youngblood. All four roles are essayed beautifully. Everyone is spot-on, except for one minor irritation – Vidya’s on-again-off-again Punjabi accent. She tries really hard too. She swallows the vowels like any self-respecting small-town Punjaban would – she says “Bhrosa” instead of “Bharosa” (meaning trust), and does a “hain?” like she means it, but on the whole it doesn’t sound very authentic. A flaw, but a very, very minor one.

Here a word about Vidya Balan and what a superb actress she is. As Neetu she appears in the most outlandish clothing – large crocheted hairbands with humongous bows, frilly capris, deconstructed blouses, misshapen mini-skirts and cleavage-revealing negligees with built-in-guitars (too weird to explain – hopefully you’ve seen the trailer). In short she has ghastly taste, but is sure she has a great flair for dressing and no one, least of all her husband, can appreciate it. Balan is not the thinnest of actresses and looks especially fattened up for this role. And despite all this, the woman looks beautiful, and acts the heck out of this role. She IS Neetu, so seeped in the character is she.

The film’s plot is punctuated by vignettes of humor. There is the recurring joke about Neetu’s clothes, and another about her terrible cooking. The dialogues are apt and so, so fabulous. While the film’s plot hinges around the missing money, the body of the film deals with the angst arising from it – the tension between Sanjay and Neetu, and the sliminess that pervades the atmosphere whenever Pandit and Idris come around sniffing for their money.

The film is decently paced. It doesn’t get to solving the money issue very quickly obviously, and spends it’s time developing the characters – time enough for us to get into their heads, and wonder who the liar is in these four goofballs. I’m really pleased with this film. I think it could have been tighter and avoided the few cliched pitfalls it did have, which is why it comes in at a rating of 3.8, instead of a full 4.

Regardless, this is a great watch – go see it.

Kidwise : Ghanchakkar has many adult situations and dialogues, which might be OK for 15+ and older. Also the movie is dialogue-heavy and will probably bore younger kids.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, comedy, crime, drama, goofy, quirky, rating-PG15, recommended, suspense | 3 Comments

What to Watch on Netflix : Edition #11

Posted on June 27, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B006G3MZRQ” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Warrior[/amazon_link]– Warrior (USA, 2011) : This stars Nick Nolte, Tom Hardy and Joel Edgarton as a family of MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighters. The estranged brothers, played by Hardy and Edgarton vie to win the high-prize-money Sparta title, and their ex-alcoholic father is caught in the middle. Fairly violent – lots of MMA bouts, but a great watch.

– October Sky (USA, 1999) : A young school kid (Jake Gyllenall) has science on the brain, but his inquisitive spirit and dreams of building a rocket are derided by his coal-miner father (Chris Cooper). Based on the true story of Homer Hickam, this is a family-friendly watch.

– Meet Joe Black (USA, 1998) : Brad Pitt is Death. When he comes to pluck media mogul Bill Parrish from the living, Parrish makes a deal with him. Now Death takes up residence in his palatial home, but soon starts developing an interest in Parrish’s lovely daughter Susan. I hadn’t watched this classic when it first came out, and had expected a morbid film; it surprised me.

[amazon_link id=”B001JV5BA8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]I Do[/amazon_link]- Jane Eyre (USA, 1996) : Based on Charlotte Bronte’s novel, this stars William Hurt and French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg. If you like movie adaptations of favorite classics, this one’s for you.

– I do (“Prête-moi ta main”, France, 2006, subtitled) : This was a lovely romantic film, full of the little quirks and nuances that characterize French films. 41 year old bachelor Luis (Alain Chabat) is happy with his life but is being pressured by his strong-willed mother and sisters to get married. To fool them and still maintain his bachelorhood, Luis contracts with Emma (Charlotte Gainsbourg) to pose as his fiancé and then ditch him at the altar.

Posted in 2013, All Netflix, book to film, family-friendly, feel-good, foreign, french, historical, mini-reviews, movies online, Netflix Recommendations, quirky, recommended, romance, WhaTWON | Comments Off on What to Watch on Netflix : Edition #11

Movie Review : Raanjhanaa (2013)

Posted on June 23, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00D3WUZ4S” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Raanjhanaa (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)[/amazon_link]
Rating : 3/5
Genre : Romance
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 20 minutes
Director : Anand L. Rai
Cast : Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Kumud Mishra, Swara Bhaskara, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayub, Shilpi Marwaha , Vipin Sharma
Kid rating : PG

I went in to see Raanjhanaa with moderate expectations. Director Anand Rai did give us “Tanu vs. Manu”, but there is also Dhanush to contend for here. I came away with my moderate expectations satisfied – the film was breezy and beautiful in the first half, but the post-interval phase was a disappointment.

The son of a Benarasi priest, Hindu Kundan Shankar (Dhanush) has been in love with wealthy Muslim Zoya Haider (Sonam Kapoor) for as long as he can remember. She blows hot and cold, wily and innocent by turns, when it suits her. He, undaunted, pursues her in a most stalker-ish fashion (read eve-teasing/sexual molestation in it’ s small-town avatar), threatening to slit his wrists if she doesn’t succumb to his (non-existent) charms. Zoya’s parents affronted by her audacity at continuing a mild flirtation with a Hindu boy ship her off to her phuphi’s (aunt : father’s sister) in Aligarh. From there Zoya moves on to studying at JNU, Delhi. Here she meets student leader Akram (Abhay Deol) and falls for him.

Dhanush, complacent in his love, waits for Zoya to return to Benares. He feels jilted when he finds out that she loves another, but there is nothing he can do about it, is there?

The first half of the film flows easy and smooth. Characters are well-drawn and director Rai displays the same knack for bringing small-town UP (Uttar Pradesh) to the screen as he did in ”Tanu vs. Manu”. There is humor and romance; momentous events pile up right before the interval, and I’m waiting to dig into the second half. Post-interval however, the film loses steam. The narrative plot gets jumbled. Large swathes of the film are spent on the JNU campus and in Delhi, with not much happening. The end is fickle and patchy.

Dhanush plays the role of a small-town, indigent, not-very-educated, not-good-looking man in the film. His love, Zoya, by contrast, is wealthy, beautiful, well-educated and has seen the world outside their little town. There is no match here. He, blind to these disparities, still pines for her, and expects her to return the fervor. Dhanush and Sonam, both good actors, do very well here. It is a pity that their characters have so many negative shades to them. She is wily and capricious, mindful only of her wants. He, besotted, is callous towards everyone but her. I didn’t feel very much for either one of them.

The supporting cast, though, brings the film big brownie points. Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub plays Kundan’s good friend Murari and Swara Bhaskar plays Bindiya, who is very much in love with Kundan and not afraid to show it – Kundan pays her no heed and uses her abominably. Both Ayub and Bhaskar are fabulous and I liked them much more than the leads – I wish the film had been about them instead. Kumud Misra, who you might recognize as “Khatana-bhai” from Rockstar, is fantastic here as Zoya’s father. Vipin Sharma, in a smaller role is just as good as Kundan’s Tamilian father.

A good romance should make you feel like the lead pair must end up together. Here, I didn’t feel that way, and because the film purports to be a romance, in my view it fails. Hence the low rating. Dhanush, for all his acting, has neither the looks, the physique nor the charisma of a leading man – I am rather under-whelmed by this hero. But, it’s not all his fault. The real problem here is unsympathetic characters – if I can’t feel for my hero/heroine, how am I even going to care how they end up?

Raanjhanaa is an average watch – you’re sure to be entertained in the first half; just bear through the second.

Kidwise : There is some surprisingly colorful language here – in true UP-ite flavor. The dialogs get pretty crude at times, so watch out for that. Other than that, the film is clean, although younger kids are bound to get rather bored in the less-action-only-dialog second half.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, rating-PG, romance | 10 Comments

Movie Review : Nautanki Saala (2013)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B00BPB8CU8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Nautanki Saala[/amazon_link]
Rating : 3.2/5
Genre : Romance
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Rohan Sippy
Cast : Ayushmann Khurana, Pooja Salvi, Evelyn Sharma, Gaelyn Mendonca, Kunaal Roy Kapoor
Kid rating : PG-13

“Nautanki Saala” is based on a French film, so I’m expecting quirky characters and some zaniness. I get both. Ram Parmar or RP (Ayushman Khurana) is a play director, and an actor. His play is based on the Ramayana, and he plays the lead role of Raavan in it. The play is a success, he’s found love with his pretty girlfriend Chitra (sprightly MTV VJ Gaelyn Mendonca) and life is generally good until one day Ram comes across a man attempting suicide. Kind-hearted Ram prevents the suicide and brings the broken-spirited Mandar LeLe (Kunaal Roy Kapur) home with him.

Long story short Mandar is at the end of his tether because the woman of his dreams Nandini (Pooja Salvi) has spurned him. Altruistic do-gooder Ram decides to patch things up – that is, until he sees lovely Nandini and begins to fall for her himself . . .

Ayushman Khurana is in Vicky Donor mode in this film, or looks like it. Can’t they change his appearance even a little bit, to suit the role? Here, he looks young and scruffy and un-dependable – I’m not sure I’d trust him to cross the street, much less direct a whole play. And then he portrays a guy who sweeps women off their feet. Really?

Gaelyn and Evelyn Sharma (you might have also seen her in “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani”) have small roles and they do OK. I found the leading lady Pooja Salvi unimpressive; she seemed a dramatically disinclined wilting rose with a whiny voice to match. Kapur’s character Mandar was annoying – so I don’t think it was his (Kapur’s) fault that I wanted to shake some sense into Mandar. The film’s characters as portrayed, seem goofy, which would be OK if they were French 🙂 (French goofiness works) but desi goofballs had better have some back-story, or we wonder why they didn’t turn out to become good little engineers/doctors like the rest of us.

The crux of the film centers around two men fixating on one woman, and Ram’s pricking conscience – lusting for Mandar’s ex-girlfriend – hello betrayal! Ayushman does nicely with the comic timing and the emoting; me thinks this guy might actually break out those acting chops someday, given the chance. However Ayushman is not Hrithik Roshan, as far as looks go. So here’s my mini-rant : with three lovely-looking women in the film, all the female viewers get to look at is (unshaven) Ayushman and Kunaal? Is there no God/Goddess? End rant.

The 2003 French film “Apres Vous”, on which Nautanki Saala is based wasn’t a big hit either, so I’m wondering why this was chosen as inspiration. Nautanki Saala isn’t bad, it’s just “meh”. But this very average film has some outstanding music, some of the best I’ve heard this year. There is the very nicely done “Dhak-Dhak” remix, “Saddi Gali” sung by Ayushman, the lovely ballad “Mera Man Kehna Laga”, the peppy “Dramebaaz” and my favorite “Dil Ki To Lag Gayi” by Saba Azad:

As my mom would say, it is just about theek-thaak – passable for a one-time watch.

Kidwise : Some lip-locks, but nothing, in general, to scar the young ones. PG-13 safe.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, comedy, french, goofy, rating-PG13, romance | Comments Off on Movie Review : Nautanki Saala (2013)

Movie Preview : Lootera (2013 – Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha)

Posted on June 16, 2013 by amodini

Finally a film where Sonakshi Sinha breaks out of the dumb belle mould! Lootera releases July 5th and also stars Ranvir Singh. This is a romance of the 1950s, so everything seems sepia and lace. Lootera is directed by Udaan director Vikramaditya Motwane, so I’m hoping for great things for this film:

Posted in 2013, bollywood, Previews, romance | Comments Off on Movie Preview : Lootera (2013 – Ranveer Singh, Sonakshi Sinha)

Movie Preview : Ghanchakkar (2013)

Posted on June 13, 2013 by amodini

A robbery takes place. The thieves decide to split up the money later. The guy who has the money loses his memory. Yes, this movie looks fun and quirky.

Ghanchakkar releases 28th June. It comes to you via director Raj Kumar Gupta; he directed “No One Killed Jessica” and the superb “Aamir”. It stars Vidya Balan, Emran Hashmi and Rajesh Sharma.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, goofy, humor, Previews, suspense | 1 Comment

Movie Review : Jolly LLB (2013)

Posted on June 7, 2013 by amodini

Rating : 4/5
Genre : Drama
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 10 minutes
Director : Subhash Kapoor
Cast : Arshad Warsi, Amrita Rao, Boman Irani, Harsh Chaya, Mohan Agashe, Saurabh Shukla, Sanjay Mishra
Kid rating : PG

A long while after “Sehar” comes another movie with a major role for Arshad Warsi. He is a dependable actor, a fact obscured by his “Munnabhai” genre roles. In Jolly LLB , Warsi is small time Meerut-base lawyer Jagdish Tyagi or Jolly. Dreaming of making it big, Warsi moves to Delhi and sets up shop at Tees Hazari. His practice isn’t quite chugging along, so when he sees a colleague file a PIL and gain publicity because of it, he decides to file a PIL too. The PIL he files is about a hit-and-run case, where a rich kid driving his LandCruiser has driven onto the pavement, killing several folk sleeping there.

As is normal for the Indian Justice system, the rich kid’s dad and his expensive, smarmy lawyer Advocate Rajpal (Boman Irani) have greased palms everywhere. They haven’t accounted for Jolly’s PIL though. Neither has Jolly.

This is, some might say, a formula film about the under-dog taking on the system. We have seen this ad nauseam in Hindi cinema – very been there done that. Still Warsi and Rao bring a freshness to it. Of course, the honest path is hard to tread and the deck is stacked against our hero. Jolly gets a little help from Judge Tripathi (Saurabh Shukla). Rotund, bespectacled Tripathi is a veteran of the Indian Courts. He defers to Advocate Rajpal, and seems to be good friends with everybody else. You wonder which side he is on.

This film has its heart in the right place. Its hero is a common man, caught up in the rush to become someone, someone with enough money to afford a good life. And that seems struggle enough. There are shortcuts; one only must bend. But vulnerable as Jolly is , he wins you over with his earnestness and his good heart, and his ability to take beating after beating (some physical and some not) and still not lose his die-hard spirit. His character keeps you in the film, for there are few films and few heroes which portray a vulnerable protagonist so well. This one does. And Warsi makes it possible.

Warsi is ably aided by the director and the fairly strong script and screenplay. The rest of the actors – even ones in small roles  – are impeccable. This is a good film – one of the best this year. Highly recommended.

Kidwise : The film is pretty clean and free of vulgarity. The subject matter (violence/court-proceedings/corruption) may not appeal to very young children, but the film itself is PG.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, drama, humor, rating-PG, recommended, social issues | 1 Comment

Movie Review : Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)

Posted on June 2, 2013 by amodini


Rating : 4/5
Genre : Romance
Year : 2013
Running time : 2 hours 40 minutes
Director : Ayan Mukherji
Cast : Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapur, Tanvi Azmi, Farooq Sheikh, Dolly Ahluwalia, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Evelyn Sharma, Poorna Jagannathan
Kid rating : PG-13

I’d read of some disparaging reviews for this movie, but fikar not, fellow movie lovers, Ayan Mukherji hasn’t lost his touch. I quite liked “Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD)” – it’s an engaging mix of Karan Johar style masala and the finer sensibilities of Ayan Mukherji’s thoughtful genre.

Karan Thapar or Bunny (Ranbir Kapoor) is a rakish brat. Lazy, irreverent, adventure-seeking Bunny wants to live life to the full, experiencing different things, travelling to different places. He wants the keema-pao, the hakka noodle; he doesn’t want to be stuck eating dal-chawal for the rest of his life. His two best friends Avinash (Aditya Roy Kapoor) and Aditi (Kalki Koechlin) are with him for now, as is “scholar” Naina (Deepika Padukone), the academically inclined shrinking violet who has a thing for Bunny. But things get distant when Bunny leaves India to study abroad. Eight years later when they meet at Aditi’s wedding, they all have moved on, and it seems like the ties of friendship have thinned with time . . .

Like “Dil Chahta Hai” or “Zindagi na milegi dobara” YJHD also spins us a tale of friendship among the affluent classes; fast friends go their separate ways, will their friendship ever be the same? This not a desperate struggle for roti, kapda aur makaan (e.g.; Kai Po Che), but one of changing relationships among the jet-set. The first half of the film is pure fun and laughter, the hijinks of the youthful set against the backdrop of slow-clad Manali. The second half is located in Jaipur, courtesy Aditi’s big fat Indian destination wedding. There is thus great scope for musical numbers, and there are many – energy-filled rambunctious songs (“Balam Pichkari”) in the first half and catchy wedding-inspired ones (“Badtameez Dil”, “Dilliwali Girlfriend”) in the second.

This film wins big because of its excellent cast. Ranbir can play a cad-ish rake effortlessly, and does. Bunny is a charming rogue, leaving goody-two-shoes Naina totally besotted. Ranbir acts marvelously, and dances just as well. Deepika delivers an outstanding understated performance; just a hint of nervousness as young Naina, and a mature confidence as a grown-up doctor. Kalki is gorgeous as fearless, brash Aditi, and Aditya Roy Chaudhary is impressive as Avi – I predict impending success for this fine actor.

The younger crowd is aided by the veterans. Tanve Azmi shines in her small role and Dolly Ahluwalia (of Vicky Donor fame) plays Naina’s pushy Punjabi mom. (Squint-eyed?) Farooque Sheikh is a pleasure to watch as Bunny’s dad. He is the epitome of the loving parent, sad to see his child leave, but happy for him to follow his dreams. The emotional father-son sequence, as Bunny gets ready to leave India, is one of the most finely crafted scenes I’ve seen in recent times; I can still feel the lump in my throat.

As expected from a Karan Johar production, this is a glitzy, colorful film. Director Ayan Mukerji proves he can mix masala with substance. He brings heft to the emotional underpinnings of the story, etching out his characters carefully. The four friends are very different, but likeable. Badtameez Bunny charms us, and we can’t help but feel for mousy, hesitant Naina. Aditi is a steadfast friend while Avi is loyal and faithful. The emotions in the film are fed with an attention to detail, be it Bunny’s loving relationship with his father, Aditi’s surprising feelings for her goofy fiancé, or the playful banter between friends. We root for them, because they might appear to be shiny, happy people, but in the end, they are people like us.

“Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani” is almost 3 hours long. Towards the end, this feels stretched and could have been made shorter by at least 30-45 minutes. Regardless, this is a wonderful, feel-good film, and one to be watched in the theatres. Soon!

Kidwise : This film contains some suggestive dialog, some kissing, ladies in skimpy (but not vulgar) clothing, and fleeting scenes shot featuring red-light areas. The tone of the film is flirty but harmless, although better suited to the PG-13 crowd.

Posted in 2013, bollywood, drama, feel-good, rating-PG13, romance | 12 Comments