Khiladi 786

“Khiladi is back” shouts out the male lead of the movie in his famous husky toned voice as he glides with the speed of light. His histrionics do induce a slight sense of humor despite a ridiculous, irritating and sickening screenplay.

Fake cop Bahattar Singh (Akshay Kumar) is a local looter with Robin Hood-like characteristics. He also desperately wants to be married. Match maker Mansukh (Himesh Reshamiya) brings in the proposal of a nice brat, Indu (Asin) who is the sister of TT (Mithun Chakraborty), a thug. The to-be in-laws’ fake their identities pretending to be cops.

A no-brainer film needs to have brainy dialogues is what the film teaches you. Heavily inspired from its genre of Bolly-movies, it unabashedly steals fragments and pieces of storylines and settings. Its humor is plain stupid and nearly every scene celebrates the stupidity. The African- Canadian- Chinese family track is not funny! Add to it all is Himesh Reshamiya’s performance that does a good job at sabotaging his own film.

Akshay Kumar with his 786 ka haath (whatever that meant!) is like your reward for bearing with the ongoing absurdity. Not that he does anything he hasn’t done before but that he does it with so much dexterity that missing out to blink would not be a bad idea. His screen presence, style, attitude, spirit, dialogues and looks ward off the horrifying effect that director Ashish Mohan’s work otherwise probably intends to create. The horror here is the shock one receives witnessing the heights of crap. Mr. Khiladi on the other hand crosses heights of awesomeness ~ that’s the irony!

Hardly any other performance is mention-worthy. Mithun Chakraborty gets into his Housefull 2 mode again. Johny Lever is given dialogues that fail to register. Asin looks pretty and does well. Music is average. The best song is ‘intelligently’ placed towards the end along with the credit titles.

You have to be a die-hard Akshay fan in order to gulp down this absurd wave cinema. Don’t complain because Tera pyaar pyaar pyaar rhymes with Hookah Bar!

RATING – 1.5 stars

Talaash

Bringing alive a world in itself is what director Reema Kagti manages to do with an appreciable panache.

Inspector Shekhawat Suri (Aamir Khan) investigates a case of a mysterious car accident of a filmstar. Suri is also entangled in a complicated private life after having lost his son in past. The incident leaves his wife, Roshni (Rani Mukherjee) in psychological distress as the couple find it hard to forget the mishap. Rosie (Kareena Kapoor), a prostitute lures Suri while helping him in his search.

Tinged with thriller-flavor is a sequence of an unbelievably shocking car accident. A high speeding car takes off a sudden turn for no reason, cuts through the pavement and splashes down straight into the sea, causing an impassioned death. Here on, no looking back. Sudden high paced movements with thundering music recur with a comfortably unforgivable disposition. An ambience of local prostitutes and their dealers sets in contrasting with the A-graded filmstars’s world. Soon the police and his team get down to work as the case clumsily involves the men in brown to polish their grey cells and find link between the two.

The director seems to relish upon a non-existent but yet prevalent chemistry between her leads. Watch out for the glamorous Kapoor trying to entice a conscientious Khan in a virtual amorous encounter. Few apt dialogues and some reticence do the magical trick with near perfection.

A psychological angle that is an amalgam of Suri’s personal and professional life churns mind with curiosity and brings out the essence of the story very well. The writers do a fabulous job of balancing, amalgamating and associating.

Certain segments do seem borrowed possessing a Hollywoodish blend while others leverage upon factors that inevitably entertain. The film does not stipulate any novel message to its audience either. Yet its meticulous screenplay and conviction enable it to do justice with its genre. Certain scenes deserve an applause- for instance, the one in which a disabled man jumps off a train and gets on the shutter of the platform and the one in which Inspector Suri performs the burning ceremony paying his respects.

With a suspicion inducing melodic soundtrack and some very good performances, the thriller ends up being gripping and convincing.

RATING- 4 stars

Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Jab Tak Hai Jaan has a soul only it does not touch! Yash Chopra’s gigantic romantic venture fails to sustain attention and takes a dip more than often.

Samar Anand (Shah Rukh Khan) is a fearless soldier working for the bomb defusing squad of the Indian army. Akira (Anushka Sharma) gets hold of Samar’s diary after the latter saves her from drowning. The diary introduces her to a ten years younger Samar who was in love with Meera (Katrina Kaif). Meera, a billionaire's only daughter too falls for Samar, a waiter. During an accident, she bargains her love life for Samar's life to God. Samar now puts the Almighty  to test by working in the bomb squad. He also secretively desires to forget his past as time does not heal his pain.

Aditya Chopra does an average job with the story. There is sincerity and love but not too many novelties. For instance ~ two accidents, memory loss, memory comes back ~ Get back to that zamaane ki filme!  There are certain good elements no doubt but the trite expressions vouch for a better screen presence.  Director Yash Chopra too gives equal weightage to the the low and high quotients of the script. Had he relished upon the strengths and given upon lots of melodrama, the film could have turned better. 

Some songs are lengthy and could have been edited better. A distinguishing stand-out-point of the film is Samar's conflict with God for it is treated well almost carrying a nostalgia of Chopra's Deewar. The movie heavily rests upon this spiritual quest with thankfully convincing dialogues. Romance seems to have been contemporized considering it is a Shah Rukh Khan film. With the director not giving upon his old stratagem of sentimental drama, it is perhaps sad he had to alter his ways when it came to romance. Further, King Khan’s looks are enough to generate passion and intensity. A King of Hearts badly played!

Anushka enjoys the clichés given to her. She gets into modes that we have already seen her play before. Katrina does an appreciable job and her dance oozes oomph. Neetu Singh is as fabulously natural as ever.

The film does a great deal to its leading actor Shah Rukh Khan. Perhaps the Chopra's are so used to having him around that they don't bother to leverage upon his super-stardom. Maybe the benevolent SRK doesn't mind, but it hurts sentiments of his countless fans. Several times, he is given stereotyped scenes and unfortunate dispositions. He is made to compromise upon his signature statements. Further added is a scene in which Meera refuses to romance him. Now we have seldom seen the superstar get romantically rejected. What novelty!

Nevertheless, Shah Rukh exudes charm and looks great. Pardon the melodramatic elasticity to watch him in the Indian Army attire for he carries it off just too well. His comic scenes click. Watch him call Akira, Kurosawa! 

Its music suits the movie well. Rahman’s musical beats are fantastic with pleasant songs. Here, not everyone knows Punjabi, should be a point noted. Saans is a beautiful creation of Gulzar. Alas the execution of some songs further slows the pace of an improperly edited screenplay.

The latter half gets too busy compensating Akira for her loss of love. Her climax speech turns into an endless preach. Also the ending is not far from predictability. SRK-Katrina’s chemistry is limited to a few scenes. 

No magic! Harsh upon SRK fans!

RATING- 2.5 stars

STUDENT OF THE YEAR

The peculiar part of the movie is how it partly disfavors itself and its title towards climax. While most elements seem very much the characteristic Johar we all like, certain others seem of little depth.

The rich brat Rohan (Varun Dhawan) and a highly ambitious Abhimanyu (Siddharth Malhotra) discord only to become best friends. Rohan’s girlfriend, the fashionable, smart and good hearted Shanaya (Alia Bhatt) soon finds her priorities changing. The Student of The Year competition at Saint Teresa School is declared open. Who shall win?

The director very well depicts emotions – the story of two buddies Rohan and Abhimanyu, Shanaya’s disappointment in Rohan, Abhimanyu’s concern for Shanaya and an ultimate clash between Rohan and Abhimanyu. Melodrama in these areas proves to be the strength of the director. Stylish costumes, trendy locales and appropriate make-up make the three debutants look simply gorgeous. The subtlety and simplicity with which Shanaya and Abhimanyu’s love story is depicted adds beauty. Problem perhaps arises with the fact that the concept of Student of The Year competition is somewhat stale. And this is an integral part of the film that we are looking at as it provides the basis which reasons the emotions of characters.

As debutants, Siddharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan are drop dead brilliant. Alia Bhatt fits in with beauty. She is pleasant to look at, lovable and adorable. The “pretty boys” carry most weight of the film extremely well. Needless to say, the three are stars. Dharma Productions seems to have invested in the right talent. Amongst others, Ronit Roy and Rishi Kapoor give good performances. Others are just as well.

Songs greatly enhance the film. Lavish sets, pretty clothes, choreography, the turns and tinge of melodrama grab attention instantly. One may resent the burning tree sequence of Ishq Wala Love getting removed from the film. Music by Vishal-Shekhar is good.

Overall the story would do better if its tonality could get to be more convincing. A watch for KJo fans nevertheless.

RATING- 3 stars

COCKTAIL

If you got nothing to do, get yourself a cocktail. And by Cocktail, I’m referring to the drink, not the film!

Caught between friendship and love are three distinct characters- wild and carefree Veronica (Deepika Padukone), casanova Gautam(Saif Ali Khan) and the typical Indian girl Meera(Diana Penty). Who ends up with whom?

The film has neither sincerity nor an entertaining value. It rests way too much on Veronica’s sexy and wild avatar.  Deepika Padukone plays Veronica with the right oomph and power, but falls low on scenes that require her to actually act. Saif Ali Khan does what he is good at onscreen- flirting at first, remaining confused next and falling in love finally- but at least choose a good film to do that in, man! Perhaps a younger actor could have done a better job. Diana Penty may have acted well, but the script and the film grab our attention more, which is unfortunate.

Director Homi Adajania depicts his guts in making a boring, melodramatic and obsolete film in today’s times when films at least attempt to prove that they are different. He shows no signs of realization of doing this, whatsoever. Being worthy of notice however are some of the special effects- Discotheque scenes, fast paced camera movements and flickering lights strive to stylize the film. The dialogues can constantly remind you of who one of the writers of the film is, but that does not help either. Don’t expect the climax to be any different from Love Aaj Kal, excepting the fact that there is hardly the charm or enduringness of it.

Dimple Kapadia and Boman Irani seem to be victims of a second hand script. Attempts at humor appear desperate- what else explains Saif in a women’s wear dancing to Shiela Ki Jawaani! Very few gags are worth a laugh. Music (Pritam) provides relief only at times. The song that truly possesses the spark is Tum Hi Ho Bandhu, which is why it is out of sync with the film!

You can watch it for a sizzling Deepika Padukone. Not much.

RATING- 1 star

BOL BACHCHAN

When comedy film directors depict melodrama, you are left thinking a-joke-is-up-his-sleeve! Now they seem to be leveraging on that thought. Be it Rohit Shetty or Sajid Khan they seem to be depicting an amazing connection between melodrama and comedy – melody!

Left cheated by a family member, Abbas Ali (Abhishek Bachchan) and his sister Sania (Asin) come to the beautiful village of Ranakpur in Rajasthan. Abbas finds work under the most powerful man, Prithviraj Raghuvamshi (Ajay Devgn) who believes in ethics and hates lies. Little does he know that Abbas has not one but a thousand lies up his sleeve!

A scene in the movie shows Devgn and Bachchan encircled by innumerable goons against whom they fight- a few dhishum dhishum and lots off sound effects later, the baddie’s are left injured halfway in the air in a circle in slow motion! If you can laugh there, you’ve got the nerve of the film.

Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan depict right in the beginning that they are the heroes, root upon them and you shall win! Needless to say, they both give very good performances as they set in the tenor of the film. Abhishek deserves praise for his gay act as Abbas Ali- after all he possesses a prior experience (Dostana). He gets it all, from body language to comic timing. The sound of Prithviraj hitting hard his tattooed chest can make you wonder if he has gulped down a microphone! However it has the shtyle, so does his Englis! If a scene begins to take a dip, an ingredient is immediately added to tickle your bone. The element of humor sustains the film well. Leading ladies Asin and Prachi Desai give decent performances but the lady who grabs attention is Archana Puran Singh who performs impeccably- Be it the ‘mehfil ki shaan, Zohra’ or playing the ‘maa’ with long grey dyed hair, her expressions deserve applause.

Of course there is lots of destruction, shattering, explosion and all the noise that comes with it. The director shows keen interest in blowing up vehicles, crashing shops and making apt usage of ladder, pole or anything handy along with the thrashing shots! Special effects+Slow motion= IStyle! 

The title song featuring the legendary Amitabh Bachchan cannot not leave an impact. He is symbolic of power, an entertainer in true spirit. The conceptualization of the song, choreography and lighting add glamour. Talking of music, we surely never thought of rhyming jaan, baan and praan! - Perfect for the film.

Never does the film promise utmost originality, but does believe in a plot and comedy. The climax might remind you of not just one but two Anees Bazmee films, but look how unabashed the film is about doing it! Anything, for that smile and that laugh.

It’s a Rohit Shetty film- anything can happen. The VFX artists can blow off a car without people in it and expect you to believe that people are in it. It’s a Rohit Shetty film- anything can happen.

Go to watch the Bachchan dance­ – A 'kathak' performance you better not miss!

RATING – 3 stars

SHANGHAI

Lets hope that director Dibakar Banerjee shall watch his own film, say, ten years later and actually wonder- What the hell’s happening?!” At least then he would realize what he made the audience go through! He seems to have got too inspired by watching VB’s Kaminey the very first time!

 IPS officer T.A. Krishnan (Abhay Deol) is in charge of an attempt-to-murder case that is dubbed to be an accident by corrupt officials. Shalini, the victim’s cousin (Kalki Koechlin) and Joginder, a videographer (Emraan Hashmi) play a key role in finding evidences. Will they succeed?

Shanghai has the typical small town flavor- an ambience of local stores, rural folks, mud, desi dances, gullible mob, political prevalence, unscrupulous officials, ludicrous English etc. Several hand-held camera shots add value to story telling. There is no particular development in any character; incidents are the tool of story building. The execution of the film captures its essence with the climax doing little. There are interesting points that unfortunately don’t last long. There is not much humor, but the little attempts at it are pretty successful. The one mentioning Ramdev Baba could not have had a better timing!

 If there is something evidently missing, it is good music. Bharat Mata Ki Jai has a transitory effect.

 Kalki Koechlin well depicts an unbalanced state of mind. Emraan Hashmi adds good humor. The gold tooth perhaps was meant to be our substitute for a golden script! Abhay Deol does a fantastic job. His silence speaks and so do his words!

 'Shanghai' is a classy name for a not-that-classy film! Now isn’t that quite like classy promises for not-that-classy attempts?!

 RATING- 3 stars

HOUSEFULL 2

Akshay Kumar, Asin, Rishi Kapoor, John Abraham, Jaqueline Fernandez, Randhir Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Zarine Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Shreyas Talpade, Shazahn Padamsee, Boman Irani, Johny Lever, Chunky Pandey and eh, Ranjeet! This one’s definitely got to be HOUSEFULL too !!!

So firstly, this is simply a stupendous script. But do not expect everything or sometimes anything to be original! Sajid Nadiadwala’s story and Sajid Khan’s complements however, leave you in splits. The dialogues are hilarious, direction is outstanding, songs have the most perfect entry, not one character goes futile and not a single situation is rendered useless. There is apt usage of rivalry, melodrama, romance, action and comedy. If Confusion is like alchemy here then no prizes for guessing the alchemist!

Step brothers Chintu Kapoor (Rishi Kapoor) & Dabboo Kapoor (Randhir Kapoor) hate each other. Akhiri Pasta (Chunkey Pandey) who is a marriage counselor is summoned to find the best (read richest) son in law for their respective daughters. Pasta’s ‘joking’ creates misunderstanding and leads to Jai (Shreyas Talpade) with help of Jolly (Riteish Deshmukh) hiring two of their old college pals Sunny (Akshay Kumar) and Max (John Abraham) to revenge Mr Chintu. The duo is to beguile Henna (Asin) and Bobby (Jaqueline). Which of the two Kapoors shall succeed in getting his daughter married to the rich JD (Mithun)’s son, Jolly? Batuk Patel (Boman Irani) shares his own piece of history with JD, his friend. Will the girls get their love amidst all the confusion? If yes, then how?

The film is very well paced. The story escalates beautifully leaving you intrigued in the present situation. The script does justice to each of the notable actors, which is a commendable achievement given the talented star-cast. The songs of the movie are just right. The hilarious “Papa toh band bajaye” has been effectively used throughout the film. “Anarkali” commences befittingly. The action sequences are interesting and entertaining.

Almost every actor acts brilliantly. Sajid Khan probably knows his role only too well. Asin and Jaqueline rise way above the average glam doll act. Shazahn and Zarine too perform pretty well with the latter catching more attention. The male performances are terrific. John Abraham has definitely improved and how! Johnny Lever and Chunky Pandey are mini atom-bombs of humor. Watch Johny shut up Chunky’s “Im-a-joking” in the climax-LOL. Alright, so hero time, never, has anyone made lechery look this good-Akshay Kumar! His comic scenes are,eh, so well done that ordinary lines turn extra-ordinary. Watch him laugh or cry,eh, he is simply a pleasure to the eye!

Overall, the film ranks high on fun and entertainment quotient. The climax is much more improvised and skillful compared to what was in the prequel. This is one jolly movie. (Well, not literally!)

And by chance, if you want to apply brains, then better get your textbooks out & study!
RATING- 3.5 stars

Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu

If the title just reminded you of the Rishi-Neetu musical then stop. The film isn’t that enchanting!! It is a pleasant entertainer no doubt but for the climax that impetuously claims to be ‘different’!

Rahul Kapoor (Imran Khan) is an architect and a compliant son. Riana Braganza (Kareena Kapoor) is a carefree, open-minded and optimistic hair stylist. Both are jobless and a night in bar gets them talli enough to get hitched. As they decide to annul their marriage, a friendship develops that enables them to cognize each other. Journey of life makes them travel from Vegas to India.

There are just two good things about the film. One, characterization- the director depicts how a person’s surroundings and circumstances influence his attitude in life. Two, performances- Imran gives a splendid performance. Bebo too does so barring a very few scenes.

The film has a good sense of humor. Imran Khan is particularly cute. He gets the skin of his character. Kareena Kapoor is a white beauty though she does look less like Imran’s heroine & more like his brother ki dulhan! However the script justifies that. Ratna Pathak Shah and Boman Irani are wonderful actors.

Music director Amit Trivedi does an appreciable job with the background score, but his soundtrack does not rise above the peppy Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Sadly even this song has not been used to its best.

New time director, Shakun Batra has a very good grip over the story. He deserves applause for convincing characterization of every character. His film is crisp but for the ending. The melodrama towards the near-ending gets a little boring which probably the director realizes and brings in a ‘change’at the acme!

The movie ends on quite a friendly note… After all, “Pyaar dosti hai, love is friendship.” What an absolutely delightful thought!

RATING- 3 stars