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Reviews
My Name Is Khan (2010)
His name is KHAN...yes...Khhhan(epiglottis-sourced)
After watching MNIK, i truly believe that there are two kinds of actors in this world.Good Actors and then there is,SHAH RUKH KHAN. This statement cannot be described through words. Watch MNIK and you will know what i m saying.
There is no need for me to write a review for this movie though I always make it a point to post my thoughts on every srk release at IMDb.
But, OK here it goes.This film is the greatest film India has ever made.No one is good enough or qualified enough to review this MAGIC.
Shah Rukh Khan take a bow...You have never been this good despite your innumerable fantastic roles in the past...
Karan Johar take a bow.You have created cinematic Einstein on celluloid.
And the most important thing about this film is, it is very well researched...I didn't see a single point that was frivolous.
9.15 am show at Kolkata INOX with oldies and young cue up and me feeling like a king because I have special privilege due to cellfone booking so I get to jump the cue (as Rizvan should say, BBBad Mann)
Generally multiplex audiences are fake and they don't respond to scenes.. they sit like dummies and behave as if the popcorn is better than the screen product...I always prefer single screen to enjoy the experience..But today, it was different...whistling, clapping,screams,shouting srk's name and a longggg standing ovation in the end.
Saw audience verdict from various kolkata halls on TV and my gosh, the srk fan club people are making srk's posters eat Laddos...yes... and seems like holi has come early with dhol baja and loads of tamasha ..
Watch Out For The - mosque sheitaan scene(best), the Africa charity dinner (dialogue in the end) and the scene with Georgia people and the scene with his mother and ...ACTUALLY EVERYTHING...
A FILM WHICH IS FLAWLESS...
AND I MUST MENTION THE PEOPLE OF India... the gutsy people of Mumbai and all over who have defied all threats and stormed to the theatres. its like unimaginable ...remember the speech in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani... when srk's speech stirs up people and they act... SOMETHING LIKE THAT HAS HAPPENED IN India... wow... there are indeed two types of people..Bad(like the Thackereys) and the GOOD (like all of us).
my rating-- 10 on 10 I think this film should exclude itself from the award functions..Oscars, Filmfare , National awards..Call me a snob but awards aren't good enough to honor this film......
Billu (2009)
Billu is watchable...but....
There was a time on TV when there were serials like Tenali Rama and Malgudi Days which were innocent, humorous and in the end,they never forgot to give us a sweet little moral teaching. It was a sweet thing which with time disappeared from our televisions.
Cut to 2009, we have the son of television ,Shah Rukh Khan producing and acting in a film which attempts to bring the long forgotten innocence of the doordarshan era on celluloid.
The film begins well and ends well but I feel there is something which makes Billu , a partial disappointment. May be the box office greed of the producer makes the movie nose dive from being fantastic innocent cinema to just a well tried attempt ,stuffed with unwanted elements.
Honestly, the film didn't need those many item numbers and the people who think that ,all the audience wants are skimpily clad bollywood chicks shaking their bodies, are wrong. Terrible. But yeah,Kareena looks wow.
Those super hero kinda animations with SRK were not needed either.Surely, SRK is planning to make a sci fi film and those sfx and graphics were an attempt to test the water, but hey please, leave the sci fi projects to the fair skinned film makers.We just don't have that budget .
I am not bashing this movie but its just that I am disappointed.I wanted it to be a simple tale with Sahir Khan playing the messiah in the underplayed manner,but here its like, Sahir Khan pretends to hide yet he is flashing a torch.Getting me? The cast is fantastic with Lara looking like a goddess and her acting is great.Irfan who has the title role is magnificent ,but then he is Irfan Khan and he can never go wrong in my opinion.The supporting cast is in sparkling form.Special mention to the guy who plays the guest house manager.His scene where he acts as a policeman during the shooting is one of the most hilarious scenes ever. Scenes involving Om Puri and that school manager are genuinely funny. Loved the Abhay Kumar taunt on Akshay The locations are great, the songs ,though unwanted are decent and the direction is like any other Priyadarshan film. Nothing special about it. Editing part is pathetic and the scenes jump from one to the other in a haphazard manner.Very unprofessional stuff indeed.
The film is watchable because it is different and reminds me of those good ole days of TV.Its a sincere effort and Shah Rukh deserves a pat ,because they just don't make them like it anymore and at least the Khan has tried. Shah Rukh Khan playing himself minus the name is good but give me a re-run of Malgudi Days and I will forget about Billu .
7 out of 10
SRK has finally moved away from his target NRI NRP NRB audiences and I am sure that this film will do great business in India because its an honest attempt at a time when cinema shows a stupid cook fighting Chinese warriors and a guy is forgetting everything after 15 minutes yet not forgetting to steal Hollywood concepts Good job srk..Just wish the producer in you didn't have box office in mind...but....
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008)
goo.....light up your lives....
One thing is for sure..If you don't enter into a theater showing Rab Ne Banadi Jodi expecting another Raj Malhotra or Raj Aryan, then trust me ,you will surely take home with you, Mr.Surinder Suri of Punjab Power. Suri is someone whom we come across everyday in our lives.He is there in every bus, he is there in every office building and he is there in every by lane of India and he is the most boring person in the world. Surely,its the realness of Suri's character that brings a smile on one's face.Trousers with tucked in shirts and sneakers
My God, I meet such people twice everyday.
There is no point giving any synopsis of RNBDJ so I will jump directly to the views
Rab Ne Banadi Jodi , honestly is damn good illogical cinema at its best with a touch of magnificent subtlety.Its a laughathon but behind this super funny film,there is a masterly screenplay ,where the movie reels fly off with one comic situation after the other, but then in the end when we are at the closing stages, we end up realizing that this film is not about Mr.Suri's unintentional buffoonery instead its about the God that resides in him..And trust me, that God is one funny bloke..
Newbie Anushka is a stunner and she plays the role of a one helluva confused girl, extremely well. You can hate her for the decisions she takes in one scene and you certainly want to give her a hug ,for the next step which she takes, and this is what her role demands.. For a newbie, she has done a fabulous job.
Vinay Pathak as the ever helpful barber friend is funny and I hope to see him more with Shah Rukh in future films. The two share great comic chemistry.
The songs are all very good .Haule Haule is a cool crowd pleasure whereas Tujhmein rab dikhta has been shot really well..Dance pe chance flaunts Anushka's dancing capabilities but one big disappointment was the Phir milenge song.I loved this song the most on audio but the picturization was a bit too bland. None of the girls looked good except Lara. I was really expecting another Deewange.I remember this kind of song way back in the early 90's in Salman Khan's Patthar ke Phool..Wish Shah Rukh gave us something like that but then it ain't too bad either
The story is actually a one page story and it is indeed commendable that they have stretched it past 2.5 hrs without boring us even once. RNBDJ is a compilation of many old Hindi films like Golmal, Hum dilde chuke sanam and Aaja Nachle but what makes this movie spectacular is Shah Rukh Khan.He is good as Raj but it is his rocking ,shocking ,fantabulous Suri ,who will be remembered for a long time.. Shah Rukh is ageing and it is visible and thank god, he is choosing the perfect roles.Its impossible to think of anybody else as Suri. Shah Rukh is there in almost every scene of the film and I can surely say that he has made this wonderful movie rock big time.
Suri might be lighting up Punjab but SRK had indeed lit up Rabne Bandi Jodi with his magical performance..
8.5 out of 10
..
Fashion (2008)
Fashion is watchable
Madhur Bhandarkar has made riveting cinema in the past and a lot is expected from his biggest movie(in terms of budget),called Fashion.Madhur has done extensive research and has tried to show us the world of fashion industry,but there is one problem.He hasn't shown anything new.Every layman in India assumes the things which the director has depicted in his marathon tale, despite his so called extensive research work.
Most of the common people outside the fashion industry think,that to get big in the modelling world,one has to go for compromises.Most of us think that all the men in the fashion industry are gay and if not so,then wife cheaters.Most of us think,that models are nothing but pretty hangers who have weakness for cocaine and the high-life.SO WHATS NEW IN YOUR TALE,MR.DIRECTOR?
What is new is that,never before on screen have we peeped so deeply in the world of ramps,vamps oops i mean models,modelling and their agencies.The director has spared none and has taken pot-shots at everyone, including himself.The most interesting part of the film are the ramp scenes which have been shot beautifully and dramatically.In fact,the whole first half is brilliant but it is the, second half which goes from scratchy to preachy to a never ending tale of trauma and more trauma.
Priyanka Chopra got a once in a lifetime role,but she is just passable.She looks fat and doesn't even look like a model,forget super-model.Acting is not just about pouting and Ms.Chopra should learn this fact at the earliest. It is Kangana Ranaut ,who has rocked big time in this movie. Though ,I feel , there is a bit too much of Kangana as a distressed coke sniffing woman that we are seeing..Hope this is her last attempt at this genre as she has proved herself in this genre. But the truth is, she really breathes fire into the frame every time she comes in...Fabulous performance. I wish she had a bigger role but guess ,its not the director's fault and instead, the censor people worked overtime chopping her scenes.
The rest of the cast contributes with decent performances and Mugdha Godse,Ashwin Mushran and Samir Soni are terrific.
The songs , Fashion ka jalwa and Mar jawan are fantastic(love the latter one) and the background score is top notch.
Fashion is a good film but it should have been shorter and could've been better. Watch it ...
off topic- Some months ago, I saw a film called Jigyaasa featuring Hrishita Bhatt and I feel ,the director of Fashion, in his research work, went through that film and ended up getting inspired by it in a small way.
Mumbai Meri Jaan (2008)
Engrossing Cinema
Mumbai Meri Jaan released last week and it had my dream cast in it,so I couldn't dare to miss this one..Kay Kay,Irfan,Paresh..wow...What else do I want??? The film tells the story of 6 lives ,very different from each other,in terms of background, yet close to each other,in terms of frustration & solidarity.
The film is about the Mumbai train blasts but its not,"only" about the blasts.It peeps into the lives of rich and poor, dangerous and foolish, corruption and morality and ends up showcasing ,that in the end we all have a heart which despite facing several pains,still manages to beat in a way,which is as beautiful as Mozart's Symphony No. 40.
The performances are top notch but Kay Kay is the one who is ahead of the rest. Paresh Rawal has the most author backed role and he does ,what is expected of him,i.e. deliver a knock out performance. Irfan has done fantastically well,but I wish,he had got some more scenes.Soha and Madhavan are adequate,but its Kay Kay, Paresh and Irfan,who make this movie reach the highest level.
A wonderful and a brilliant film with the song placement in the last scene ,being a masterstroke.
my rating- 8 out of 10
Batman Returns (1992)
Entertaining flick.
I am not a fan of any of the super-dudes of the comic world but then, when I peep back in time, I realize that the Batman and I go back along way together. The first American motion picture which I remember watching at a theatre was Batman Returns, many many seasons ago. Michelle-CAT WOMAN-Pfeiffer, became the lady of a child's dreams and Danny's work made me realize that in cinema, short and screams works big time, yet, I didn't care a dime for the hero of Gotham city. I would not have bothered even if Penguin had finished off the Bat in early 90s. But the movie rocked..Keaton was good in the title role but Cat woman was just too good..
The Dark Knight (2008)
The world deserves a better class of actors,so Heath, you will be missed.
I am not a fan of any of the super-dudes of the comic world but then, when I peep back in time, I realize that the Batman and I go back along way together. The first American motion picture which I remember watching at a theatre was Batman Returns, many many seasons ago. Michelle-CAT WOMAN-Pfeiffer, became the lady of a child's dreams and Danny's work made me realize that in cinema, short and screams works big time, yet, I didn't care a dime for the hero of Gotham city. I would not have bothered even if Penguin had finished off the Bat in early 90s.
Cut to 2008,and we have another film on Gotham's saviour. When the film was being shot, I had no intention of watching it in a theatre on its release. I would have waited for the DVD with zero eagerness but then, early this year, tragedy struck and the man whose performance was being billed as the greatest evil act, quit this world forever. So, I had to watch this one just for Heath's sake.
This movie begins with the joker playing games with the mind of his accomplices and by the time the movie reaches its final stages, the joker has played tricks with very man, woman, child and dog residing at Gotham city. Of course, The Dark Knight is not about the mad joker but it is not about suave batman either. It's about how fragile human emotions are and how difficult it is to overcome personal grief by the sternest of men. What makes this movie work and workkkk in a big way is that its an intelligent piece of cinema. Batman has the power, the gadgets, the car, the bike and the cops with him but the joker has one thing which is good enough to create fear in the heart of batman too, and that's a twisted, corrupt, plagued mind. The film proves that even men with special abilities struggle when they face men with abnormal minds, but then, like most movies, good beats evil, though this time in a humdinger.
The dialogues are terrific and the performances are unlike those usual wooden superhero films. Bale's act and especially his voice tone transformation from man to bat is excellent and the rest of the cast is good, but then what about the performance of the man who doesn't exist anymore?? Menacing, cold blooded , gruesome and to cut it short, mesmerizingly magical. The Dark Knight is breaking records and honestly, I feel it's the Nolan+Heath factor that is responsible for it .The film has been directed superbly with lavish intelligence. I believe, The Dark Knight is the greatest ever super hero film.
As far as the topic of posthumous Oscar is concerned, well yes, give it to Heath. Not because of the fact that the guy is dead but because he has honestly attempted to bring back from the dead, a real terror on celluloid. Jack Nicholson in the Shining was the last time, when someone made me feel the fear. Heath's joker tries hard and delivers to some extent and till now, apart from the joker, I haven't noticed a single other act this year which deserves any special recognition.
Watch the Dark Knight because you won't find any dumb gown wearing men fighting with tubelight like swords; all you will see is clever and sleek cinema.
And in true joker style all I want to say is ,"the world deserves a better class of actors,so Mr.Heath Ledger, you will be missed and surely,the joker must be having a gala time in heaven".
Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Azeem- o-shaan Cinema.....
Saw this movie close to a month after its theatrical release.It was a late night 10 pm show and I went there expecting an empty theatre...But to my surprise there were many ,queing up at the ticket counter to watch the story of Emperor Akbar unfold on celluloid....
Jodha Akbar sometimes makes you feel as if you are watching one of those Doordarshan mega-products like Chanakya or Mahabharat and sometimes you feel as if you are watching a war epic which many believed, only Hollywood was capable of..
The movie at some parts might make you feel as if its too slow but such is the nature of every historical,that in order to do justice to the chosen subject,the director has to purposely slacken the pace and throw light on the minute happenings of the by-gone era..In short the proceedings might look super slow to some viewers but historical movies never drag....Its just one of the special characteristics of historical cinema..
Jodha Akbar has great performances and for me,no one other than Hritik Roshan could have played the role of a lover, a poet, a son, a leader and an emperor with a golden heart in a better way..But on the flip side, Hritik tries hard to emote with his eyes but ends up exercising his nostrils in too many scenes.Aishwarya Rai is passable..Don't know why but honestly,I didn't like the chemistry between the two lead pairs..May be,the zing-thing was missing between the two.. Aishwarya as usual looked like a doll and no offence,but trust me when I say that the doll is getting old real fast..
Action scenes are jaw dropping..Cinematography is top notch and everyone attached to the project, I feel ,has done a commendable job..
Music was fantabulous and the picturisation of the title track was grand and splendid....Never in my craziest of dreams did I ever think that I would ever get to peep into the world of the Whirling Dervishes in India Cinema..But take a bow,Mr.Gowariker..Thats what you call, chef-d'oeuvre.Your picturisation of Khwaja mere khwaja is a classic, a masterpiece and only a genius could have taken the song to such supreme level in the final stages...
Jodha Akbar,despite facing protests in various parts of India,is in short,a specimen of Azeem-0-Shaan Cinema and its one of those rare,not to be missed films..
Indian Cinema is looking beautiful and this movie plays its part in the decoration of it..It will be remembered for a long long time..Takhliyaaa..
Om Shanti Om (2007)
Ye picture bohot chalega mere dost
If you loved the unintentional hamming of the mothers of the 70s who would make the temple bells sway with their prayers,if u adored the sidekick cute buddies of the 80s who would always die in the end,if u loved the bell-bottoms of the past,if you enjoyed the over the top villains of the past and if you ever loved true blue Indian cinema in general,then this lampoon called OSO is made for you..And if you didn't like any of the above mentioned characteristics of the old Bollywood,then also OSO is for you...
Khan is brilliant in the first half..Actually everything in the first half is fantabulous..Second half is okay and Shahrukh is so so compared to the first half..Second half picks up pace with the adrenalin rushing dastaan-e-oso song which is reminiscent to Karz' Ek Haseena Thi...Also the Madhumati inspired climax is a masterstroke....Deepika is great looking but doesn't have much to do..Shreyas has managed to match Shahrukh step by step..Kirron Kher is splendid as the Nautanki-prone momma...
I will cut my views short and all I wanna say is Om shanti Om is Eccentric Cinema at its ultimate best
DO NOT MISS IT..
THIS IS GOING TO BE SRK'S BIGGEST HIT
Gandhi, My Father (2007)
A father's plight
It takes guts to make a movie on Gandhi in India ,in which he is not shown as a man who could do no wrong.This movie shows how a Mahatma failed to be a decent father(at least in the eyes of his son).
The performances are terrific ,the cinematography fantastic, the direction fabulous,but the film drags.If the intention was to make this movie without any box-office expectations,which i assume is the case here,then its a brilliant attempt,but if the makers were expecting this to be a commercial success,then the film's fate was doomed the day they chose this subject..
20 yrs from now,this movie will be remembered for the brilliant portrayal of Harilal by Akshaye Khanna.He deserves an Oscar nomination for this one..And honestly,his is not the only performance worth applauding, Shefali Chhaya is terrific too..
Watch the scene where Harilal hears about his father's death.No dialogues,No screaming,but a speechless shot by Khanna.Its one of the finest scenes ever shot in the history of Cinema
Gandhi,My Father is not at all exciting cinema but yes,its excellent cinema and a must watch.Brilliant Attempt..
Chak De! India (2007)
United They Stood
Making a sports based movie in my opinion is a very tricky affair because of two things.Firsty,99% of the sports based films have the same conclusion,i.e David winning over a Goliath ,which the audience knows from the very beginning and Secondly, no matter how much tipsy topsy turvy the screenplay is,the climax scene is where the minnows and the audience rejoice ,exception being Rocky I ,which is one of the best motion pictures ever produced in my opinion.
Be it The Longest Yard,Bend It Like Beckahm,Major League,Angels in the Outfield or our very own Lagaan ,Iqbal ,they all have the same thing. A bunch of not so good team-mates end up winning the world.So in short,when it comes to sporty flicks, we all know everything,yet we watch it and enjoy the every bit of it.
Chak De India , is good but not great.Yet I believe it couldn't have been better.Confused?So am I.The theme is good, the performances are good, the direction is good,but you know what, the sport called Hockey looks dull (which in reality it isn't).The movie starts of well,but one doesn't feel the excitement(in the matches) which one noticed, when say, Kachra of Lagaan got a Hattrick or when Charlie Sheen did it for The Indians in Major League.Hockey doesn't look good on the big screen but Shah Rukh Khan and Bindya Naik(dunno her name) make this movie work. I think the coach and the rebellion plot and then the Mcdonald scenes were terrific. Shah Rukh as Kabir Khan is solid and the girls give him ample support.Dialogues are very good but I wish this movie was 15 mins shorter.And they could have used the title track more often.
Don't expect it to be another Mughal E Azam,but it ain't gonna be a dud either because those who were coming out of theatre looked positive.
United they stood,and they won the match,but sadly we are a nation which still believes in a Bhuvan hitting a six off the last ball and not a chick goalie saving a scorching shot so
may be that's y I still consider Aamir Khan's Awwal Number as a fantastic movie.
7 OUT OF 10
Go enjoy Chak de India and Fcuk de box-office
Awarapan (2007)
Excellent
A bittersweet life has come to Bollywood in a better-sweet way.Congratulations ,Vishesh Films,you guys have got a winner this time..The team comprises of one of the sharpest minds in Hindi Cinema in the form of Mahesh Bhatt,a 20-something fantastic director(with 2 hits in his kitty) ,a 20-sumthing actor(who despite giving many hits is still in the B-league),fantabulous music from across the border.After accumulation of all these positive factors, WHAT YOU GET IS a magnificent AWARAPAN ..
A movie that talks about gangsters,human-trafficking,betrayal,love,freedom,God and Atheism. You cant ask for more in those 12 damn reels...The best part of the film is the spiritual vision of the director..just fabulous..Haven't seen such thing in the commercial film segment of Indian cinema.
Emraan Hashmi in his new ChuckNorris-eque look is stunning...This performance will take him in the A+ league of actors..He has proved that his acting is just not about lips..Just damn good..A star is born?? No ,a star's acting abilities have finally stunned the world in Awarapan.
Music is beautiful and the song placements are a masterstroke..
In short,calling it a classic will be blasphemous but calling it a spectacular cinema&bollywood at its best, is no sin... WONDERFUL PAISA WASOOL MOVIE..WATCH IT
Byomkesh Bakshi (1993)
a simple and entertaining series
I saw the series when i was a small kid still i remember this series and love it because it was fantastic.Just loved every episode of it..It had such brilliant performances and Rajat Kapur as the Bengali detective was brilliant..
The cases were very different from the regular murder4money stuffs.. Byomkesh Bakshi came at a time when the satellite channels were not filling the satellite slots with dumb serials and that time Doordarshan had some decent shows on air and this one was the best of the lot .It was a low budget detective show but it had everything -mour,action,brain teasers and most importantly a script(which is missing in 90% of the shows these days)
Greatest ever detective series to hit Indian TV. THAT is it..
Awwal Number (1990)
The films looks awful but it is not..
Well , if u consider Lagaan as a classic then I m sure Lagaan should thank Awwal Number because i think Ashutosh Gowariker before writing Lagaan must have been inspired by this Dev Anand directed film..The plot is different but the essence is same in both the films.
This film has terrible performances(aditya panscholi being the sole exception) with loud hamming and crazy direction but still the film is a watchable one .
By the way in Lagaan and in Awwal Number, the sixer off the last ball is hit by the same batsman ,Aamir Khan .
America have been making those MLB based films for ages where the lead guy from a struggling team comes in the end and hits the home run,kisses his girlfriend and goes home , so i guess this was not a bad attempt from Dev Anand..
Wish it was made on a bigger budget with better performances .Ahh no no, my wish got fulfilled long time back..Lagaan was made in 2001..isnt it?
Hayat (2005)
a very sweet film
I saw this movie with English subtitles as i don't understand farsi , but yes i am very happy that i picked this movie .. If you want to have a look at innocent cinema,this is the movie for you .please do not miss this film. Its a very innocent and sweet film about a girl called Hayaat.. A teenager's DETERMINATION, confusions,struggle ,desperation, over enthusiasm have all been captured beautifully in the 75 minutes long movie..
The child who plays Hayat's brother in the movie, is just terrific.. Cinema from Iran has certainly got a very bright future..This nation keeps churning out one great movie after another. I don't know if Hayat won any award at any festival or not but I would like each and every parents to show this film to their children.
The director is in control of each n every frame of this movie and once the movie is 10 minutes old I assure you, you too like me will become a part of the film's surrounding and feel like a character of this miniature masterpiece.. Go help Hayat reach her destination which is....... ( Can't spoil the classic,go see it)