Blog | Amodini's Movie Reviews - Part 83Amodini's Movie Reviews | Movie Reviews by Year, Genre and Rating

Review : Ta ra rum pum

Posted on April 30, 2007 by amodini

Rating : Below average (2.8/5)
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2007
Running time : 3 hours
Director : Siddharth Anand
Cast : Saif Ali Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Javed Jaffrey, Angelina Idnani, Ali Haji

TA RA RUM PUM : SLICK PACKAGE CAN’T SAVE THIS ONE

Another film from the director who made Salaam Namaste. And as I leave the theatre, I’m wondering how old the guy is. He’s actually 27 or more, I’m amazed to find. You’d think at 27 you’d make less juvenile movies. But no, TRRP proves me wrong.

I’d seen the trailer, so had a pretty good idea what the movie was about. If you’ve heard about it even in passing, you know it’s about car-racing – Rajveer Singh or RV (Saif) being the car-racer, who’s starts out as pit-crew but ends up behind the wheel when he accidentally impresses a racing team’s manger (Jafri). He also meets pretty young pianist Radhika (Rani), they fall in love and wedding pheras (sans Radhika’s Dad’s blessings) follow. A lovely modern house, and two precocious, annoying kids (Champ and Princess) help complete the suburban, desi, richie-rich package in Manhattan.

And all is well until (surprise, surprise) RV speeds into disaster at the race-track . . .

The film is set in New York, so nice, polished locales are a given. Plus if you’ve seen SN, you know the director pays attention to detail – clothes, sets the works. The film even features a cartoon character filled song. The story is the usual – happy-happy romancing, marriage and kids etc. and then problems strike. The film ran along it’s predicted path pretty tamely, and if I had to relate to you the entire story verbally, it would be a saga of un-ending sentences starting with boring “And then ……”s.

By the time the interval came, it seemed like eons had passed, and not a single emotion in that first-half had moved me – I had trouble believing, and sympathizing with the flaky characters. One does not feel for morons. Major flaws in Rani’s characterization – pre-marriage, she’s thrifty even being super-rich, and post-marriage the woman can’t open her mouth to tell her extravagant, “let’s pay for everything in installments” husband to straighten up. Plus being a parent, I was pretty ticked off with the whole “let’s not tell the kid’s we are poor” philosophy. Kids are smarter than that – they’ll cotton on. Yes, people make mistakes, and do dumb stuff, and my problem is not with the fact that Radhika and RV do all of that – what leaves me unmoved is that they have very few redeeming qualities.

Rani appears as a rich, college-girl majoring in music, in the first half of the film. Thus, I assume the choice of mini-skirts – which Rani can’t carry off at all (unless she majorly loses weight). She ends up looking dumpy. And that terrible, fusili-inspired hair-do didn’t help at all. What exactly was that supposed to be ? Delicate tendrils of hair framing her face? It widened her face, and she looked vacuous. Along with the mini-skirted bottom, she looked like a walking-talking cylinder – which is amazing because she’s a gorgeous woman and I’d imagine you’d have to try hard to make her look bad. Saif could stand to lose some weight too.

The kids, who were specially selected to play these roles, did well, considering the terrible, and sometimes very mature lines they were given – I’m thinking which kid actually talks like this ? Kids are mostly smart and interesting to talk to – why are they always so annoyingly ESP-ish on desi films ? Whatever credit is due in this film, goes to Javed Jafri as strongly accented Harry, and Rani who’s managed to imbue this improbable role with some sincerity. I didn’t feel Saif in this film at all, no spark, no sizzle, and his sweat-encrusted face (in his helmet) was a total turn-off – he looked like he had cold sores all over his face. Plus the name RV – when I hear RV, all I can think of is recreational vehicle (the kind SRK drove in Swades).

The second half is just about tolerable, and that’s a relative measure because the first half left me indifferent. Tepid, very tepid, and in retrospect something I wished I hadn’t watched.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, watchable | 2 Comments

Review : Teen Deewarein (3 Walls)

Posted on April 23, 2007 by amodini

Rating : Above average (3.8/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2003
Director : Nagesh Kukunoor
Cast : Naseeruddin Shah, Jackie Shroff, Nagesh Kukunoor, Juhi Chawla, Gulshan Grover

TEEN DEEWAREIN : TWIST IN THE TAIL !

I’d heard a lot about this film, and everyone pretty much gave it rave reviews. And while Kukunoor has proved to be quite adepting at presenting stories on the screen (Dor, Iqbal), he is not quite the director, yet. Expecially when he casts himself. Still, this is an interesting film, and well worth the watch.

The film is about 3 convicts on death-row, and a film-maker Chandrika (Chawla) who comes in to interview them and get to know more about their lives and compulsions. There is Jaggu (Shroff) a philosophical almost-poet, who believes he deserves to be hanged and that death is his atonement. There is Nagya (Kukunoor), who tries to convince everyone he knows that he hasn’t committed the crime he’s going to be hanged for. Hope is what his life hinges now, believing that one day his truth will come to light. The 3rd convict is Ishaan (Shah) a small-time con-man, who’s gotten an accidental death on his hands. He seems the most unrepentant of the lot.

Chandrika follows them around their daily chores, talks to them and films them talking about their lives and their guilt. The wife of an abusive man, Chandrika also has her own problems to deal with. But as Ishaan discovers later, Chandrika has motives beside the obvious for choosing to dissect these three convict lives . . .

The story has quite a few twists and turns and unexpected connections. This de-glamourised film is presented sans frills (no song and dance routine here) and is stark and at times brutal (like the scene where Chandrika’s husband tells her he wishes that she was a bit more attractive). The actors do a competent job, although I could have done without Kukunoor as Nagya; it’s not that he’s ineffective, his acting just lacks the punch which comes with a strong delivery.

The script and screenplay are fairly strong, so the film holds your interest, although if you’ve watched other Hollywood convict films (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile) you might not be quite as enthusiastic as a greenhorn.

Posted in bollywood, drama, watchable | 2 Comments

Review : Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.

Posted on April 3, 2007 by amodini

Note : The edited version of this review appears at Planet Bollywood.

Rating : Good (3.85/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hours
Director : Rima Kagti
Cast : Shabana Azmi, Diya Mirza, Kaykay Menon, Raima Sen,Abahay Deol, Minissha Lamba, Vikram Chatwal, Sandhya Mridul, Ranvir Shourie , Boman Irani, Amisha Patel, Karan Khanna

HONEYMOON TRAVELS PVT. LTD. : THE FEEL-GOOD FILM OF THE YEAR !

Finally ! After wading through the duds of 2007, this film is one I actually enjoyed watching. I had expected HTPL to be good, seeing that it came via young producers (Farhan & Zoya Akhtar) known for their different film treatments. And it is – it’s different, fun and quirky, weaving together the stories of 6 couples on their honeymoons on the same tourist bus.

There are old-timers Nahid & Oscar (Shabana & Irani) on their second marriages, reflective and forgiving of live. Then there’s the Gujrati couple Hitesh and Shilpa (Ranvir and Diya) who can’t get anywhere near each other without scrabbling, the super-compatible Parsi couple Aspi and Zara (Abhay and Minissha), and the oddball NRI husband Bunty(Chatwal) with his desi, fun-loving wife Madhu (Mridul). Kaykay Menon plays an uptight and insecure Bengali man Partho very much in love with his beautiful, free-spirited wife Mili (Sen). And rounding off the sextet are the Kapoors, the Punjabi couple comprising of talkative Pinky (Patel) and contemplative Vicky (Khanna).

This is a fantastic cast – everyone fits their characters right down to their accents – do note Ranvir Shourie introducing himself as “Hites” and wife as “Silpa”. The film starts off with the start of the bus journey, and Kagti throws us a couple of red herrings, like Shilpa crying her eyes out at going on the honeymoon. Then there’s a opinionated bus driver, and a mysterious motor-bike, rider following the bus. And while everything looks lovey-dovey in the beginning, with familiarity and time, problems crop up. Kagti deals with each couple and their quirks without letting go of the momentum, and ties together each story nicely into the larger narrative.

This tale is firmly rooted in reality, in that it’s finally about what one wants out of one-self, one’s significant other, and life. However Kagti is not above taking forays into the fantastic, adding to the pep quotient, and giving us wonderful snippets like Pinky rising out of fur-lined clam-shells, and a demure wife beating the crap out of hoodlums while her husband watches open-mouthed. I was at times amused, at times surprised, at times moved, and at other times laughing my head off. All in all, I was thoroughly engrossed in these honeymooner’s lives, feeling for them, and wishing them all happiness.

The sound track of this film is gorgeous. From the delicate “Halke-halke” (sung by “Bombay Viking” Neeraj Sridhar) to the foot-tapping “Sajnaji”, vocalized by Sunidhi Chauhan, the songs suit the mood and situations of the film. Direction is good, and the film veers from the beaten track in that it is not afraid to experiment and take chances. The script while banking upon that old adage “Truth is stranger than fiction”, mixes the real with the ludicrous and the funny, and doesn’t hesitate to laugh at itself. Something which very Bollywood films do, and do well.

To sum up, this is a clean, fresh, and enjoyable film, moving away from the clichéd old Bollywood formula. If this is Kagti’s debut as full-fledged writer and director, I eagerly await her next offering.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, drama, rating-PG13, recommended | 7 Comments

Review : Namastey London

Posted on March 31, 2007 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B0016GON32″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Review : Namastey London
Rating : Average (3.2/5)
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hrs and 17 minutes
Director : Vipul Amritlal Shah
Cast : Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Rishi Kapoor, Clive Standen, Upen Patel, Nina Wadia, Javed Sheikh

NAMASTEY LONDON : Just about tolerable

After the nauseating Waqt Shah returns as director again. This time with a love story. Take a Brit girl, a Funjabi boy, the girl’s fat hypocritical father, and the boy’s caricaturized Pindi family, and what have you ? You guessed it. Namaste London.

Gorgeous and leggy Katrina Kaif appears as Jasmeet or Jazz, the very-British daughter of a very Indian father Manmohan Singh (Rishi Kapoor). With her ability to down several shots of vodka, and conjure up ex-boyfriends and memories of oft had one-night stands, she is adept at scaring away all the good desi boys, her parents try to arrange for her. However when she really gets serious about her thrice-divorced, English boss, Charlie Brown (Clive Standen), Dad gets worried enough to spirit her away to India under the guise of a sight-seeing vacation. Only being a typical desi Dad, he’s actually planning to get her married to the first “achha ladka” he can lay his hands on. Thus starts a series of “boy viewings” where we are introduced to men obsessed with Indian Idol, the saas-bahu serials, and over-analysis.

Jazz is vastly amused but really starts to feel the pressure when Dad carts them all to his home-town in dear old Punjab, and everyone begins to drown in a surfeit of the two staples of clichéd Punjabidom – desi ghee, and tall glasses of lassi. Enter the son of the household, the local Jat, Arjun. Resplendent in a pink kurta, Arjun not only helps repair Manmohan’s stranded car, but is also skilled at serenading Jazz, in full view of her father. His masculinity thus established, he becomes the apple of Manmohan’s eye, and Manmohan decides that this particular Neanderthal is just the man for Jazz. Jazz of course, thinks otherwise . . .

Life is full of truths one must accept. One of them is that this film lacks logic, and one must not tax one’s brain with finding intelligence where there is none. The film’s characters are black and white, no greys here. No common sense either, for that matter. The film’s story or plot if you will, has such gaping holes, that at the end of it all, I was amazed that Shah had managed to make a cohesive film of it.

Inspite of all that, this is a tolerable film. The first half was better, because in parts it was funny (all the prospective bridegrooms and their fetishes) and in other parts ludicrous – which is also fun. Plus when exactly are digs at the mustard fields of Punjab not successful ? Katrina as Jazz is all that and more. Akshay as the Punjabi Jat, carries off the pink well, and displays some of that admirable comic timing which make him such a good fit for these kinds of roles. Rishi Kapoor has put on even more weight; I can now safely call him rotund. However credit is due and deserved by the entire cast for handling such incongruous and sometimes lapsing-into-stupidity roles with ease.

The second half of the film sank into the melodramatic, with lots of patriotic fervor thrown in. The film then relied heavily on it’s main principle – that of the glorious culture of the motherland. India/Pakistan are portrayed as salvation for the cultureless immigrants. Have a wayward son/daughter ? Go to India and all ills will vanish and even the most Brit.-inflicted child will be saved ! Pub hopping, vodka-drinking women harboring intentions of independence will metamorphose into butter-churning, domesticated, coy Punjabi maidens, ever ready to hop onto tractors driven by their manly men. Your son ready to switch religions for some gori mem ? A spell in Karachi should change his mind !

Another reason that despite it’s flaws, this film was watchable, is that the humor (except for one particular joke which was beeped out, but displayed very clearly in the sub-titles) is not of the vulgar kind. No sniggering at women’s chests, no sexual innuendoes etc. Yes, you have your doses of women being shown their “rightful” place – like the scene where the formal marriage decision is taking place and Jazz and Arjun sit opposite each other. Arjun’s grand-mom asks him to look at Jazz carefully – so that he won’t complain later. She also asks Jazz if Arjun is acceptable to her – but that’s in a very different tone, like taking her answer for granted. After all which girl wouldn’t want a crude, unsophisticated Jat for her very own ?

The direction is fairly OK, although the music is nothing to write home about. The only song that I actually liked was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Main jahaan rahoon”. To put it bluntly, this film will succeed commercially because of Akshay’s bankable charm, Katrina’s statuesque beauty, Rishi Kapoor’s conviviality, and a story which despite it’s rough edges is enough of a romantic tale to sway the junta.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, watchable | 3 Comments

Review : Dil Chahta hai

Posted on March 5, 2007 by amodini

Rating : Excellent (4.6/5)
Genre : All-in-one
Year : 2001
Director : Farhan Akhtar
Cast : Aamir Khan, Akshay Khanna, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Dimple Kapadia, Ayub Khan, Sonali Kulkarni, Suhasini Mulay

Watched DCH for the nth time, this time courtesy Star. DCH came in 2001, and makes the #1 spot in my Top Ten List for that year. I thought I remembered it quite well, but turns out I didn’t. And the film that this is, I didn’t just watch it in passing – you know how it is with older films on TV, you kind of walk around doing stuff around the house, and view the film in bits and pieces – I actually got into bed and watched the film, advertisements, interruptions and all.

Ever wondered what problems the rich and urban have ? You know, no dal-roti woes, no how-am-i-going-to-pay-the-rent and where’s my next paycheck coming from ? Well, DCH gives you a pretty good idea. It’s a story of three friends, young, urban, and veritably rolling in the moolah. Or atleast one of them.

Aakash (Aamir) is the Benz-driving, happy-go-lucky son of a really wealthy family. Which means that besides having a big-screen TV in his bedroom, perpetual vacations, and the Sony laptop he totes, he’s also got typical desi parents who are worried about what he’s doing with his life. His friend Samir (Saif) is another young ‘un, who wears his heart on his sleeve, and is perpetually falling in and out of love with pretty young things, as time and fancy takes him. Siddharth or Sid (Khanna) is the ultra-sensitive one of the lot, an artist by demeanor and profession, and the son of a single working mom (Suhasini Mulay). His problems are vastly compounded when he falls in love with an older divorcee (Dimple Kapadia).

All three live comfortable lives, and have fairly reasonable parents. Aakash’s unfocussed life changes when, under parental pressure, he must lend a hand in his Dad’s business abroad, while Samir, the romantic, must face the horrifying prospect of an arranged marriage wih Pooja (Kulkarni). Sid must sort out his feelings for Tara. Aakash leaves for Australia, Sid remains busy with his art, and his fascination for Tara, and Samir tries to steady his emotions when he spies true love on the horizon. The friends scatter, but does their friendship hold ?

Farhan Akhtar in his debut as director chooses impeccable actors; not only do the lead threesome fit the characters to a T, even supporting roles such as Mulay’s are potrayed superbly. Aamir is as Aamir almost always is – fantastic ; just the right amount of confidence blending in with the half-cocked sense of humor make Aakash a charismatic character. Saif as Sameer displays admirable comic timing, and makes the perpetual-Casanova thing almost believable. Akshaye as Sid, looks artistic; soulful, searching gazes and all, and presents the perfect foil for bluster-filled Aakash and romantic Sameer. Preity as Shalini, looked oh-so-young, and fresh, and was wonderful as the beautiful young woman Aakash yearns for but cannot be with. Sonali Kularni in a small role as Pooja, is cute. And Ayub Khan as the possesive fiance, is very good too. Kapadia is gorgeous as Sid’s muse, Tara.

A good film is made even better with the kind of music Shankar-Ehsaan and Loy provide. From the enthusistic “Koi Kahen”, to the wistful “Dil Chahta hai”, and even to the sad “Tanhai”, each song is beautifully scored and apt. The comic nature of finding perfect love is celebrated in “Woh ladki hai kahan ?” . Direction is taut; one is always engrossed – taking bathroom breaks is unthinkable. With expert cinematography and dialogues that are so every-day and natural, you and I could have spoken them, Akhtar weaves it all together seamlessly.

Let me say, with an unprejudiced (hah !) eye, that I consider this film a modern classic. Although this is a very, very urban film, and is a sure hit with the metro crowd, this will also go down well with the youngsters in smaller towns. Because it’s youthful, exhuberant, and in it’s own inimitable way parodies every-day worries and anguishes of finding one’s way in an uncertain and turmoil-ridden world. Whew, that done, I’ll tell you that this is an engrossing, fun film. It celebrates. It engages ; I am drawn into the story, moved by Sid’s self-less love, laughing at Sameer’s zany escapades, and sorrowful at Aakash’s anguish. Above it all, the friendship and the camraderie between the three friends shines through – have we all not wished for friends like them ?

If you haven’t seen it yet, make haste to the nearest movie rental place. Hurry ! Go ! Now !

Posted in bollywood, drama, outstanding, recommended | 16 Comments

Review : Traffic Signal

Posted on February 27, 2007 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B004R2521O” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Rating : Average (3/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hrs and 20 minutes
Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast : Kunal Khemu, Konkona Sen-Sharma, Neetu Chandra, Sudhir Mishra, Ranveer Shourie

TRAFFIC SIGNAL : DAMP SQUIB !

Another Bhandarkar film. Another film on stark reality. This time on the ubiquitous traffic signal – the one we pass by in a fleeting few minutes. The film looks closely all the people who depend on the traffic signal for their livelihood. A little about each character, their lives, loves, struggles.

Silsila (Khemu) is the “manager” of one traffic signal, that is he collects the “hafta” from each signal squatter plying his trade. There’s Tsunami, a little scavenger boy, hoping for news from his parents lost in the tsunami, there’s Rani – a Gujrati girl selling ethnic clothes on the sidewalk, and there’s Dominic (Ranvir Shourie) – a drug addict and the prostitute (Konkona) who feels for him. Then there’s Silsila himself, who’s an orphan, and reports to Jaffer bhai the local goon.

Jaffer bhai in turn reports to Haji (Mishra) the leader of the local mafia. And the hafta, from each traffic signal and territory Haji controls, seeps upward to the politicians. Life is routine, until Silsila and Jaffer bhai get caught up in a chain of events which threatens the very source of their livelihood – the traffic signal itself, and Silsila must either remain mute with fear or protest . . .

Bhandarkar’s earlier films – “Chandni Bar” and ”Page 3” were stunning in comparison to his later products. His work further spirals downward with “TS”. The film suffers from a lack of plot; it’s more an ode to the Traffic Signal than a film. Bhandarkar could have written a poem instead of making this film, and it would have suited me just fine. The action/plot (so to speak) appears in the last half hour, too late and too weak to make it worth the wait. While the look into the lives of the Signal dwellers is interesting in a documentar-ish fashion, it does not make for engrossing cinema.

The acting is good enough; with some briliant acting going to waste. Konkona and Shourie’s characters don’t impact the story in any way – which is such a pity. Kunal Khemu is OK, as is Sudhir Mishra. The director takes pains to etch out the characters, and to introduce us to the grimy underbelly of Mumbai’s street-dwellers. However this concept of street-side character vignettes doesn’t work without a compelling story.

A very, very average film; a DVD rental might be best.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, drama, rating-PG15, watchable | 5 Comments

Review : Eklavya (2007)

Posted on February 17, 2007 by amodini

Note : The edited version of this review appears at Planet Bollywood, here.

Rating : Above average (3.2/5)
Genre : Drama
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hours
Director : Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Cast : Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff, Jimmy Shergill, Vidya Balan, Raima Sen, Sharmila Tagore, Sanjay Dutt, Rama Vij, Parikshit Sahni

EKLAVYA : MORE HYPE LESS MATTER

Vidhu Vinod Chopra is a name I associate with quality cinema, so I expected Eklavya to be the Omkara of 2007. Unfortunately it falls short of my expectations. By far.

The film starts off by retelling the legend of Eklavya, to set the tone of the film – a fight between Dharma and Adharma as it is perceived by the main protagonist Eklavya (Amitabh). Eklavya is an old guard, long in the loyal service of Raja Jayawardhan (Irani). After the death of the Raja’s wife (Sharmila Tagore) a dark secret comes to light, and the Raja is beset with feelings of anger and jealousy. Murder plots and counter-plots are hatched, and there is general turmoil as Eklavya tries to be true to his duty and to his heart. (For a detailed storyline, see my Preview of Eklavya).

This is not a bad film, it’s not. It is decent enough fare, (considering that cinematic trash abounds in Bollywood), but it’s not the superly-duperly fantastic film I was expecting. Chopra has all the right ingredients – a script featuring mystery and treason. There is also the theatrical flavor – the nostalgia of the days when India was a mass of petty kingdoms, ruled by feudal Ranas. To top it all, he has a wonderful cast right from the Big B himself to veterans such as Parikshit Sahni, and Sharmila Tagore and the young ‘uns like Saif and Vidya. So, then, what actually went wrong ?

This is a 2 hour long film; it could have been longer. Coming from me this might seem a bit odd , seeing that I’m in mortal fear of directors who find it hard to edit their films to reasonable lengths. In this case however, I strongly wish that the director had taken the extra time to develop his characters a bit more soundly, and given us, the viewers the opportunity to get to know them better, empathize with the vagaries of their lives, and then care about them. The film picks up rapidly, from the start, but it’s like being thrown into the middle of a play, with little knowledge of the characters. The dialogues of the film are minimal, take a long time to come, and give us a very little information. We do not know much about the characters of the story, except what little (and I mean little) we see of them, and thus it is very hard to feel for any of their dilemmas or anguishes. I, as the viewer felt very distant and removed from the action on screen. Eklavya failed to move, to engross.

The film is slow paced. Some of the scenes in the film are done very well, like the scene in which Eklavya shows his marksmanship blind-folded, or the scene when the murders take place, but the rest of the story rolls along at a hum-drum gait, engulfed in sorrow, and a pall of gloom. Now that I look back, very little happened in those 2 hours, and crisply told this would have taken all of 30 minutes. The crux of the problem – Eklavya’s fight to stay true to his Dharma, and yet preserve all that is near and dear to him, is presented , but so mildly that frankly I didn’t care too much. Chopra hints at drama, but fails to deliver it inspite of a set-up ripe with promise, Eklavya’s affected mannerisms, and all those Sanskrit mantras reverberating in the background.

Actingwise, Vidya Balan shines the brightest. Saif also delivers the goods, but in a more straight-laced manner; I see none of the spark he displayed in Omkara. Amitabh is as good as ever, and shortcomings in his role are the director’s fault. Sharmila Tagore’s role is minor, and Rama Vij appears fleetingly as Eklavya’s mother. Boman Irani seems to exude just the right amount of paranoia and effeminate mannerisms, quite befitting a weak, jealous Rana unable to sire children. After a long time, I find a role for which to applaud Jackie Shroff, for he does a great job as Jaywardhan’s evil brother, Jyotiwardhan. Jimmy Shergill as Jyotiwardhan’s dissatisfied son does well, but then he was always a fine actor. Sanjay Dutt appears convincing as the cop. Raima Sen as the retarded princess, appears to be pretty sane in a few scenes.

The film is picturesquely shot, in vivid color. There is only one song. There is no strong background score (the Gayatri Mantra and other shlokas are pleasant to hear but do not comprise a musical score) which in a film like this is a major fault.

I’d desist from spending hard-earned moolah on viewing this in the theater – wait for the DVD instead.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, drama | 4 Comments

Review : I see you

Posted on February 7, 2007 by amodini

Note : The edited version of this review appears at Planet Bollywood.

Rating : Below average (2.3/5)
Genre : Romance / Thriller
Year : 2007
Running time : 2 hours
Producer : Mehr Jessia-Rampal, Suresh Savlani
Director : Vivek Aggarwal
Cast : Arjun Rampal, Vipasha, Chunky Pandey, Kirron Kher, Boman Irani, Sonali Kulkarni
Music : Vishal-Shekhar

I SEE YOU (ICU) : I wish I hadn’t !

Broad-shouldered Arjun Rampal might be able to carry many things, but the one thing he cannot carry is a film. On his own that is. In teeny-weeny, non-lead roles (like the one in Don) he might be able to get by, but as the main hero, he helps the film careen headlong into disaster. Add to this, a completely non-stirring debutante for a heroine, and a story as flaky as pastry crust, and you have one atrocious movie.

Quite possibly the producer, Rampal’s beautiful, super-model wife Mehr Jessia has not seen any of his earlier attempts at acting, else she’d have realized that for all his looks the man cannot act to save his life (or his film). I cannot credit them for the film’s story either since it is inspired from the Hollywood film “Just like heaven” starring Mark Ruffalo and Reese Witherspoon. However, for all my beating around the bush, my problem from the film stems not from the “lifted” story-line, or the non-dramatic powers of the lead pair . The problem is in it’s under-developed characters and languid pace, which made me nod off to sleep a couple of times.

The film centers around Raj (Rampal) who is the anchor of the British TV show “British Raj” (me, I don’t like that pun). Raj is a modern day Casanova, suddenly afflicted by super-natural powers and the ability to see and hear a ghostly spirit. An almost ghostly spirit that is, since the apparition is actually a girl Shivani (Vipasha) in a coma in a hospital, and her spirit seems to linger between this world and the next. Apparently the only person who can see and hear her is Raj , which gives rise to a series of trying-hard-to-be-comedic (and not succeeding) scenes with Raj and his friend (Pandey) who thinks Raj has gone nuts.

Anyway, now that Shivani has found her knight-in-shining-armor, she needs his help in communicating with her mother (Kher). Also, things are not what they seem, since someone is conspiring to kill Shivani (her comatose body actually) and Raj must unearth that secret, or see the apparition he now loves, disappear forever . . .

Put baldly, this is an Idiot Plot. To quote Ebert – “The Idiot Plot is a term devised for bad movies where the problems could be cleared up with a few words, if everyone in the plot were not an idiot “. This does not mean that films based on Idiot Plots do not succeed. They do. But this one doesn’t. The reasons are numerous – the main ones being the lack of chemistry (between the lead pair), lack of romantic/sappy moments (do remember that the story builds only because the pair fall in love), and the lack of projected goodness/bonhomie that would cause us to sympathize with such unlikely protagonists. Raj and Shivani meet and then for no reason (that I could see) they fall in love. Where, oh where, is the charm, the feeling, the attraction that’d make one sigh with satisfaction ?

The acting as I’ve already said is disastrous. I’m not sure how Chunky Pandey manages to come by any roles at all – doesn’t anyone else see his lack of talent ? Vipasha is an absolute wash-out – she might do better in second-tier heroine’s sister type of roles. She wears the same dress the whole film – first time producers apparently unaware that hit films generally have their heroines changing costumes at the drop of a hat. Rampal does a couple of songs which, like his acting, have no impact at all. Other reasonable actors like Boman Irani and Sonali Kulkarni have such small roles that even their valiant attempts can’t do much. The only saving grace of the film is Kirron Kher as Shivani’s mom – she seems to be her usual, ebullient self even in the role of a sorrowing mother.

The music of this film is, I’d say, far better than the film itself. “Subah subah” has a new, fresh sound, and “Kehna hai jo” is quite foot-tappingly catchy. Sunidhi Chauhan’s “Sach Hui” is melodious; something I could listen to again and again. “Haalo haalo” is a fusion of lots of sounds, and might serve as a dance-floor number.

The director does a decent job, for a first film, although he doesn’t hold the directorial reins tight enough. For a who-dun-it, the film flags very quickly – and for the attention-challenged viewer of today’s cinema this is a big no-no. Some of the shots are picturesquely composed but that doesn’t save this film. ICU, a first from the Rampal production house, is more of a multiplex film – I cannot see it released for the masses or even making a big splash outside India since it doesn’t have the glamour or the oomph it should have had to succeed.

To sum up, this is an insipid film and not worth your time or your money.

Posted in 2007, bollywood | Comments Off

Review : Risk

Posted on February 5, 2007 by amodini

[amazon_link id=”B000NVIM4C” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ][/amazon_link]Note : The edited version of this review appears at Planet Bollywood, here.

Rating : Above average (3.6/5)
Genre : Drama / Thriller
Year : 2007
Director : Vishram Sawant
Cast : Vinod Khanna, Randeep Hooda, Seema Biswas, Tanushree Dutta, Yashpal Sharma, Anant Jog, Makrand Deshpande

RISK : INTERESTING !

RISK is standard fare from the RGV camp; it’s shot pretty similarly, it’s dark and of the same genre. Grim, stark and realistic, it tells a story sans frills. Randeep Hooda returns after “D”, as a police inspector this time.

The film, I believe, is based on the story of the “encounter” cop Daya Nayak (and they do thank him in the credits). While other cops are in on the “take”, Inspector Suryakant Satam (Hooda) has a dirty but necessary job. He is busy ridding Bombay of gangsters and their hit-men. To do this, not only must he capture goons (lots of chases through small slum lanes) but he must kill them in fake “encounters”, the logic being that if left alive the goons might be rescued by their political bosses. In this he has the support of his immediate superior the DCP (Shiv Subramaniyam). The DCP’s boss, the police chief is a venal man controlled by the Chief Minister Devki Vardhan (Seema Biswas), and her mafia benefactor Khaled Bhai (Vinod Khanna), who controls his slice of the underworld from Bangkok.

The politicians are hand-in-glove with the criminals, the Home Minister Sarang (Anant Jog) siding with South Indian gangster Naidu (Zakir Hussain), with Devki and Khaled pitted against them. In his work Inspector Sattam must tolerate such politicians, but when he goes after CM Devki, he is implicated in a false murder charge, and finds himself suspended and behind bars. His superior promises justice but the law must take it’s course. The now helpless and frustrated Suryakant realizes that the only man who can get him out of this dangerous predicament is his arch enemy Khaled Bhai . . .

The film’s story is pretty cut and dry, and the plot simple. There’s lots of action, and some of the scenes get gory. The film has a fast pace – very befitting the good-vs.-evil theme. The director’s treatment is efficient – he wastes little time in getting to the point, and thus the film does hold your interest.

Sawant assembles a good cast. Hooda fits right into the lead role as the taciturn cop. Stony-faced yet expressive, he is quite the efficient actor. He comes across as a stoic and steel-willed character, with little to say. Charismatic Vinod Khanna returns ater a long absence as Khaled Bhai and does a good job as the soft-spoken don. Yashpal Sharma plays Khaled’s impulsive and rash younger brother Arbaaz, and Makrand Deshpande Khaled’s right-hand man Hari. Seema Biswas is the conniving politician Devki, making trips to Bangkok to appease “brother” Khaled. Tanushree Dutta, considerably fattened up (is she heading for the Southern film industry a la Khushboo ?) plays Sattam’s love interest Shraddhha, and doesn’t really have much of a role.

Sawant employ’s the angular techniques he used in D, this time to reflect the dilemmas faced by an honest cop, sinking in a sea of dishonesty. The film hurls towards it’s climax, with little time spent on humanising it’s lead character. Inspector Suryakant does have a mother and a paramour, but that side of him gets swept away in his commitment to his work. Although this is a good film, it lacks the personality of the other cop film that I can recall – Shool, has. Still, even with an over-done genre, and cop versus hoodlum stories sprouting up like weeds, Risk is quite an interesting film, and well worth the watch.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, rating-PG13, thriller | Comments Off

Preview : Eklavya

Posted on February 2, 2007 by amodini

Note : The edited version of this post appears at Planet Bollywood, here.

The Review is here.

Sometimes if you’re lucky and the stars are aligned just right, along will come a desi film which threatens to blow the competition into oblivion. A film with a great director, magnificent stars, and a script which promises to enthrall. For 2007, “Eklavya” appears to be the one. Going by Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s track record, his recent successes and his past acclaim, his upcoming epic promises to be the movie of the year. After last year’s bumper hit “Lage Raho Munnabhai” which he produced, Chopra this time weilds the director’s baton, along with writing and producing Eklavya. Chopra picks and chooses his work, but each film he is associated with, pioneers path-breaking cinema. Be it Bollywood’s first and best comedy “Jaane bhi do yaaron (1983)” for which Chopra served as Production Controller, or the first well-done who-dun-it “Khamosh(1985)”, or that impeccable desi gangster movie “Parinda (1989)” which he directed, Chopra does new and novel work. This time around Chopra directs after 7 long years, and gives us a royal tale of loyalty and devotion.

Another reason Eklavya is awaited with such anticipation is the stellar cast. This film has the best of the best : the versatile Saif Ali Khan, the graceful Sharmila Tagore, the inimitable Amitabh as Eklavya himself, and the talented Vidya Balan and Boman Irani. The story revolves around a royal family of Rajasthan on the verge of ruin, and the loyalty of their royal guard Eklavya. Eklavya’s family have been loyal servants to the Devigarh dynasty. He has only one purpose in life – to safeguard the family, their respect and their honor. His marksmanship is legendary, and his loyalty is unquestionable. When the Prince of Devigarh, Harshawardhan (Saif) returns home from London after his mother Rani Suhasinidevi’s (Tagore) death he sees his father Rana Jayawardhan (Irani) and uncle Jyotiwardhan (Shroff) ruling the land with a heavy hand. At his arrival, even though his mentally disabled sister Nandini (Raima) and his childhood sweetheart Rajeshwari (Balan) rejoice, there are others who conspire against him. When the people suffer, and death threats are unveiled against the royal family, a nonchalant police officer (Dutt) is called in to investigate, and it might be too late for old and infirm Eklavya to do his duty . . .

The storyline promises mystery and treason coupled with blue blood. Add to that betrayal, loyalty and the fight to stay true to your beliefs and you have a surefire hit. The released trailers, as precursors to the film itself, depict shades of upheaval amid the heavy sands of the desert. From the teaser, the film looks to be richly shot, and vibrantly picturised in striking hues. Much of the cast and crew of “Parineeta” return in this period film, including the music director, and many of the actors like Raima Sen, Saif Ali Khan, Balan and Dutt. Jimmy Shergill, Parikshit Sahni and Jackie Shroff are the new faces in the Chopra camp.

Originally titled “Yagna” and shot in picturesque Jaipur and Bikaner, “Eklavya’s” release date has been pushed back a couple of times. Shot with a budget of around 14 crores, with a large crew and the use of about 800 camels, this visual treat now finally releasing, is much awaited.

Posted in 2007, bollywood, Previews | Comments Off