Gali Gali Chor Hai

Starring Akshaye Khanna, Sriya Saran, Satish Kaushik, Mugdha Godse, Anu Kapoor

Directed by Rumi Jaffery

Rating: ** ½

While credit must be given to writer-director Rumy Jaffery for focusing on the issue of corruption noble intentions don’t necessarily make a notable work of art. Certainly Gali Gali Chor Hai(GGCH) must have sounded amusing and topical on paper.It is a savagely stinging satire on the harassment of the average law-abiding middleclass man, played with arresting earnestness by Akshaye Khanna, in the hands of various touts, middlemen, law enforcers, goons and politicians all of whom infest the tranquil city of Bhopal with the destructive determination of termites eating into a ‘system’ that has long ceased to be if any consequence , moral or ethical.

While the script has some sparkling vignettes and scenes taken from the portrait of a common man trapped in the wheels of a fluctuating fortune, the treatment of the theme of corruption is staid, prosaic uninspiring and frequently bland. The screenplay unfolds in segments and episodes that could belong to a long-running government-sponsored serial on Doordarshan, made with the express purpose of cleaning the bureaucracy’s image.

Lamentably, for all his sincerity, Akshay Khanna’s Bharat remains clueless about what the script hopes to achieve by showing the character running in and out of police stations and court premises, except to project the helplessness of the common man into a script that seeks to desperately extract creative juices out of the bourgeois desperation which has baffled, bewildered, frustrated and destroyed the under-privileged classes the world over.

Sadly the satire doesn’t evoke any empathy for the common hero of this film who is sucked into the vicious vortex of bribery and palm-greasing for no seeming reason except his political innocence.Like Shyam Benegal’s last satirical outing Well Done, Abba this film forgets to oil its joints which creak in protest each time the hero shrieks in protest.


The problem with Jaffrey’s film is its dry almost clinical treatment of the theme of corruption and the Common Man. While the ambience, characters and the plight of our hero Bharat seem authentic, the languid movement of the story suggests a far less involving sequence of events than what we set out to witness when we sat down for a film.

Don’t rub your hands in anticipation when you sit down to watch this ode to corruption.In Singham the slap sounded far more musical to the ears.Yes, there are stray amusing moments in GGCH. But by the time Bharat’s slap on the face of the ‘system’ occurs it’s a case of too little, too late.

And what on earth is that item song with Veena Malik lighting up her vital statistics with Christmas bulbs. A symbol of the common man’s dream gone bust?

Sorry,but the original Bharat, Manoj Kumar did the anti-corruption theme much more interestingly in Roti Kapada Aur Makaan. You have to bribe the audience to watch the characters getting high on the anti-corruption theme of this film.

Read more...

AGNEEPATH overwhelms global box office, earns $3.2 mn

After a record opening in the domestic market, filmmaker Karan Johar's "Agneepath" has tasted success in the overseas market by earning $3.2 million (Rs.160 million) since it opened Jan 26.

Eros International released the Hrithik Roshan-starrer on 337 screens worldwide. The film, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, grossed 347,000 pounds in Britain in the first four days. In the US, the four-day collections were $1.3 million and in the UAE, "Agneepath" collected more than $800,000.

"'Agneepath' has done extremely well in all the overseas markets making it the first blockbuster of the year. The tremendous response has been very encouraging with all major markets indicating remarkable box office results," Pranab Kapadia, president, marketing and distribution, Eros International, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, after a record first day opening, the film is on its way to join the Rs.1 billion club as it has already earned Rs.750 million in the five days of its release. If trade experts are to be believed, the film is likely to do better as there is no big release in the coming weekend.

"All of us at Dharma Productions are ecstatic with the collections. It truly is the director Karan Malhotra's vision that has made it all possible. Revisiting a cult classic is a dating task....and he along with his brilliant cast and crew have helped create box office magic," said an overwhelmed Karan Johar, the producer.


"Agneepath" is the remake of 1990 film of the same name, but it was not a commercial success. However, Amitabh Bachchan got a national award for his performance. The new version of the movie has Hrithik playing the iconic Vijay Dinanath Chauhan.

Rishi Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt are getting rave reviews for their portrayals of Rauf Lala and Kancha Cheena respectively.

Read more...

AGNEEPATH

Starring Rishi Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Om Puri

Written & Directed by Karan Malhotra

Rating: ****

Long before the damsel in the den Katrina Kaif signs her writhe petition junta ke naam, the film’s imposing villain and by extension the film, have written their destiny. In bold bloodied letters. E-mail didn’t exist in the 1990s.

Indeed Sanjay Dutt as Kancha lording over a no-man’s-land called Mandwa where the only law that exists is lawlessness, is so formidable in his vile antics, you fear for the hero, a decent bloke with eyes that tell a million untold stories.

Hrithik Roshan opts for a perfectly-tuned low-pitched performance to offset Dutt’s larger-than-life diabolism. For sure the combination of the flamboyant and the understated works. Although by the time the two get to each other’s throat almost three hours have flown by, you never feel the weight of the footage. An unbearable lightness of being vengeful pervades the storytelling.

This then, ladies and gentleman, is Agneepath Retold or Agneepath Deconstructed. Either way, the revenge formula never seemed more rousing in its invocation of Good and Evil in their most elementary avatars.

Debutant writer-director Karan Malhotra has chosen to restructure one of the most complex but unsuccessful Amitabh Bachchan starrer of the 1990s.

There are no punctuation marks in the narrative. The plot leaps at you through its sanguinary design, building brick by brick an edifice of low –life and high-drama. The bleak intimidating landscape, a bizarre bewildering blend of the Kafkaesque and the Mukul Anand-esque, captures the feeling of dread and devastation more effectively than any recent massy film.

This new-rage Agneepath retains the core of Mukul Anand’s 1990 failed-drama. And yes, it retains Harivnansh Rai’s ‘Angeepath’ poem, though, alas, we don’t get to hear Amitabh Bachchan recite the eloquent lines this time.

Malhotra’s script alters many of the original’s dramatic moments, adds new characters (most notable among them, Rishi Kapoor’s Rauf Lala), and finally fine-tunes and assimilates the plot’s subliminal statement on crime and retribution to a pitch where we often hear the screaming protests of social inequality through the protagonist’s pain-lashed expressions of angst disgust and rebellion rather than his words.

Indeed Hrithik Roshan opts for a subdued interpretation of his vengeful character where he could’ve easily been larger-than-life. Roshan lets Sanjay Dutt take charge of the blizzard of the bravura. Dutt is delightfully in-form here.

During the Chikni chameli item song when he quizzes the newly-arrived Mandwa-resident Vijay on why he’s where he is, Dutt’s eyes go from the molten to the melting…His best in years.

But the finest performance comes from Rishi Kapoor. Playing a loathsome flesh trader and drug dealer who takes Vijay under his wings , Kapoor delivers a bludgeoning homage to skin-crawling villainy.

A glorious departure from his lover-boy image. The prolonged sequence where Roshan takes on Rishi Kapoor is the single-most riveting episode of filmed violence in Indian cinema since Gabbar Singh’s mayhem over the Thakur’s family in Sholay.

Indeed Agneepath works so wonderfully within its high-voltage masala maad-dhaad genre because of the actors who instinctively grasp the street-level gut-wrenching grammar of debutant Karan Malhotra’s storytelling.

Barring Priyanka Chopra who seems strangely cosmetic in a land of looming credibility, every character shines through the crime-drama maze in a swirling haze of high-pitched drama.

The action sequences by Abbas Ali Mogul are staged to convey the same rawness as Dabangg, but without the sense of comicbook fantasy that made the action in Dabangg bearable , even comical.

In Agneepath every blow that Hrithik Roshan so manfully receives on his chin makes you flinch. You wait for him to give back as good as he gets.

The battering is relentless. This is not a film for the faint-hearted. Its basic structure and the leitmotif of the ‘tree of death’ (where Vijay Chauhan’s father was hanged and where his wrongdoer will finally, meet his nemesis) draw audiences into a vortex of viciousness and sadism.

This is a dark brooding world where pre-teen girls are raped sold and beaten up, where boys learn to use the gun before they learn to masturbate.

This is a world where the laws of retribution and redemption are re-written according to who rules the underworld. This is Agneepath where the poet gets hanged and the pervert gets promoted.

First-time director Karan Malhotra revels in the language of the commercial Hindi cinema. The characters in Vijay’s chawl are all good-hearted. Every character in the villain Kancha’s kingdom is a creep or a coward…take your pick.

The battle lines are tightly and compellably drawn. The pace is breakneck.

And the melodrama flows in a tense torrent signifying the return of the vendetta formula in all its Eastman-colour glory.

The film’s mob scenes of violence and religion often merge on the violent streets of Mumbai and in the lawless backwaters of the imaginary island of diabolism Mandwa.

The narrative features a Gokul Asthami matki-breaking sequence at the start and a Ganesh visarjan sequence towards the end, both shot spectacularly on the streets of Mumbai.

The background music is a suitable banshee of memories and pain.

Since Hrithik Roshan has chosen the language of understatement to portray the wronged wounded social outcast Vijay Dinanath Chauhan, it is up to the eloquence-level of the soundtrack to supplement the hero’s stunning silences.

Every component of Malhotra’s jagged drama falls into place, with a resounding thump. Agneepath is brilliant in its brutality.

It’s a riveting and hectic homage to the spirit of the cinema in the 1970s when revenge reigned supreme. And content was King.

This new Agneepath takes us back to the era when there was no computer or cellphones. And communication with the audience was immediate and electrifying.

Relive that tingling sensation of watching the hero gets his groove back. In gory detail.

Read more...

Record opening for Agneepath earns Rs.25 crore beats Bodyguard

The magic of Vijay Dinanath Chauhan seems to have worked once again.

Karan Johar's "Agneepath" has had a record opening day collection minting Rs.25 crore on the first day and surpassing the collections of recent blockbusters like "Bodyguard" and "RA.One".

While Salman Khan's "Bodyguard" earned Rs.22 crore, superstar Shah Rukh Khan's mega-budget "RA.One" made Rs.18 crore on the opening day.

But the Hrithik Roshan and Sanjay Dutt-starrer remake of the 1990 film of the same name, which released Thursday, has gone beyond.

Hrithik, who stepped into the shoes of megastar Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay, is excited that his hard work has paid off.

"WOW!!!! THANK u THANK u THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! Agneepath 1st day - 25cr!!!! My damaged bodyparts suddenly feel ALIVE, I feel like I can FLY now!!! Thank u people, I have the fuel now to make KRRISH EXPLODE!!!!" Hrithik wrote on his Twitter page.

Sanjay Dutt and the film's lead actress Priyanka Chopra, are equally delighted with the positive response, and have thanked fans for the amazing response to the film.

"'Agneepath' has redefined the power of Indian box office for all of us. It's heartening to see the strength of the Indian cinema audiences growing like this.

We all were very confident of the film but for this kind of success and unprecedented number that it has posted on day one we must thank our audience," said Priyanka.

Sanjay took to Twitter after a year, to share his sentiments about the appreciation towards the movie, and his role as the villain, Kancha Cheena.

"I am overwhelmed with the response and support of everyone. Thank you for loving me so much," he wrote.

Since "Agneepath" was a Republic Day release, the theatres witnessed 90-95 percent occupancy.

"The film has had an excellent opening. The occupancy was around 95 percent. It was the most eagerly awaited and would be one of the biggest blockbuster," said Anant Verma, director and business head, DT Cinemas.

However, he says it would be unfair to compare the new "Agneepath" with the original as they have been given a completely different treatment.

"You can't compare the two films as they are shot differently and have different characters also. There is no connection between the two other than just the name," he added.

Yogesh Raizada of Waves Cinema adds that all the characters have done complete justice to their characters.

"The response to the film has been rocking on first day. We have had 90 percent occupancy.

All the actors have done complete justice to their characters whether it is Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala, Hrithik as Vijay or Sanjay as Kancha Cheena," said Raizada.

The film, directed by debutant Karan Malhotra, and produced by Karan Johar, is expected to have a successful run at the box office in the coming days.

"Since there is no big movie releasing in the coming weeks, the film will work well," he added.

Read more...

Players Movie Review

Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol, Omi Vaidya, Vinod Khanna, Shikander Kher, Johnny Lever

Directors: Abbas-Mastan

Rating: **1/2

They say birds of the same feather flock together: Charlie Mascarenhas (Abhishek Bachchan) and Riya (Bipasha Basu) are partners in conning and daredevil robbery.

As a last gift, Charlie's friend Raj (Aftab Shivdasani) reveals through a CD the possibility of a heist. "Ten thousand crore rupees worth of gold would be transported from Russia to Romania."

Raj warns Charlie that this heist, an improbable feat, is not a one man job. He would need a team to execute it and the only person who can help him put up the team is ace thief Victor Braganza (Vinod Khanna).

Victor assembles the players - Riya, an expert machinist, Bilal Bashir (Sikander Kher), an explosive expert who likes foreign cars, Ronny (Bobby Deol), a magician, and Sunny Mehra (Omi Vaidya), a make-up artist. Naturally, the captain of this team is Charlie Mascarenhas and their goal - The Gold.

In today's age, with the complexity of the internet, the team lacked a hacker. Victor's daughter Naina (Sonam Kapoor) unsuspectingly offers help by suggesting ace hacker, Spider (Nitin Neil Mukesh), to the team.

In the show of one-upmanship, what follows the heist is a game of con and deceit at every moment of the film. For humour, there is MC (Johnny Lever) and his family.

Sleekly made with fine action, crisp razor sharp edits, speeding cars and exciting photography giving you glimpses of scenic Siberia, Amsterdam and New Zealand, the film reminds you of a Bond film.

The leggy babes with leotard and boots, the guys with stubble and leather jackets, the palatial villas, the elongated limousines, the long car chases, the heist on the train - everything looks glossy and out of this world.

The racy background score by Sandeep Shirodkar and the soundtrack by Pritam creates the adrenaline required for a thriller but unfortunately the well-intended choreographed numbers breaks the momentum.

Ravi Yadav's cinematography and Husain Burmawala's editing are worth a mention. Technically, Abbas Mastan have churned out a very fine movie.

Unfortunately, the film delivers without any emotions.

It is evident that the actors have not put their soul to the characters; they have just walked through their roles. And it shows. The glycerine and the pancake take the applause.

Sikander Kher seems to have some promise. In certain scenes, Sonam reminds of Simi Garewal. Vinod Khanna, Neil Nitin Mukesh and Abhishek's performances lack energy.

Omi and Johnny Lever are stereotyped with their comic dialogue delivery. Bipasha has nothing new to offer and Bobby Deol is wasted in the minuscule role.

Touted as the desi version of Hollywood film "The Italian Job", the script sticks to the basic plot but is unable to get into the recesses of its characters.

"Players" is a synthetically made formula thriller. It does not touch you emotionally. But an average watch nonetheless.

Read more...

DON 2 scores globally!

The first week numbers are out and it is crystal clear that Farhan Akhtar'sShahrukh Khan-Priyanka Chopra  starrer, DON 2, has scored globally.

Coming to India, DON 2 has netted around 72 crore, with the dubbed (Tamil and Telugu) versions adding another 3 crores for a sum total of 75 crore (to be validated once numbers are out).

	view DON 2 movie stills

As is the case with most SRK starrers, DON 2 has ruled the overseas grossing $9.50 m till Thursday (29th December). The film has grossed $2.6 m from US, $1.6 m from UK, $2.1 m from the Middle East, apart from many other countries, the collections of which are still to be received.

CHECK OUT: Post DON 2 success, Farhan earns his break

As is known, the worldwide rights of DON 2 were procured by Reliance Entertainment for Rs.80 crore (excluding print and publicity), out of which 36 crore have already been recovered from satellite rights and 9 crores from audio rights. As the stats clearly indicate, it is but a formality to state that DON 2 is clear hit that still has a lot of firepower left (given the perceptible second weekend trends!).

The only new release of the week, former IPS officer Y.P. Singh's KYA YAHI SACH HAI, has opened to poor collections of below 10 percent and has negligible chances at the ticket window.

Read more...

Bollywood's fate at box office this year. Salman tops

Here's the report card of some of this year's big banner films at the box office 

'Tis time to take stock of the year, after the last of the big banner films has released. On the basis of return on investment (the business done by the film compared to its cost, including print and advertising), our trade experts came up with about a dozen movies that make it to the hit list.

Not surprisingly, Salman Khan makes it to the top of the list, this year too, with Bodyguard raking in Rs 150 crore at the box office. And though Shah Rukh Khan's RA.One too is said to have met the numbers, it doesn't qualify due to its high cost.

Listing Singham, The Dirty Picture, Ready, Murder 2, Delhi Belly, Tanu Weds Manu, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Yamla Pagla Deewana, Haunted and No One Killed Jessica as the hits of 2011, trade analyst Amod Mehra calls it a normal year.

"The only difference is that big films like Bodyguard, Ready and Singham have generated huge money. Even a flop like RA.One did business over Rs 100 crore. Never before have four movies done business even close to Rs 100 crore each in the same year, " he says, adding that a Rs 22 crore The Dirty Picture crossing Rs 80 crore is huge.



In the same vein, Suniel Wadhwa of 52 Weeks Entertainment Inc, while also adding Vashu Bhagnani's F.A.L.T.U to the hit list, points out to a growth of 60 percent in the business in the June-September period.

"The expectations in the last quarter from October to December were high, with films like RA.One, Desi Boyz, Rockstar and Don 2. Only The Dirty Picture delivered to become the biggest success of this period, " he states, pegging the average growth in the business at 22 per cent, as compared to 2010.

Indore based distributor Aditya Chowksey attributes the growth in business to the upsurge in the Indian market. "At one time, Rs 100 crore gross was unheard of. Now, we're seeing Rs 100 crore net collections, " he points out, adding that the industry is no longer dependent on overseas to rake in the moolah.



"The Dirty Picture did very bad overseas, but it qualifies as a big hit due to its huge success in the domestic circuit."

Talking of the growth in the domestic market, Sunil Punjabi, CEO Cinemax says that the increase in multiplexes has seen realisation in the number of prints and screens as a result. "But the films are not delivering the numbers to come close to 3 Idiots.

It will always be the second and third weeks that define the size of success, apart from the length of the movie. Doing big numbers in the first week is expected because of the open window, " he observes.

Considering that it was the most eagerly anticipated film of the year, tradesmiths call RA.One the biggest disappointment of 2011.



"It created the highest decibel in terms of pre-release reach, quality and raised expectations of the audience, but failed to deliver. It could easily win the Best marketed film of the year award, but people didn't accept it.

No other film has got 95 percent screens on release, with no competition for nearly three weeks. An ideal situation for any movie, but it didn't match from the content perspective, " sums up Punjabi about SRK's RS 150 crore VFX-laden superhero flick.

According to Mehra, it's an alarming situation for Don 2 if single screens are not going full. Pegging the first day's collections at Rs 13 c

rore, he says that considering the response from the public, he sees it crashing after Christmas. " Don 2 has to do a business of Rs 110 crore to break even, " he says about the film that has cost Reliance about Rs 105-110 crore after buying it from Excel Entertainment for Rs 80 crore.

Top hits
1) Bodyguard
2) Singham
3) Dirty Picture
4) Ready
5) Murder 2
6) Delhi Belly
7) Tanu Weds Manu
8) Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
9) Mere Brother Ki Dulhan
10) Yamla Pagla Deewana
11) Haunted 3D
12) No One Killed Jessica



Top flops
1) Patiala house
2) 7 Khoon Maf
3) Thank You
4) Game
5) Mausam
6) Rascals
7) RA.One
8) Desi Boyz
9) Aarakshan
10) Ladies vs Ricky Bahl

Read more...

Don 2 Review

By: He Who Must Not Be Named

Starring: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Om Puri, Kunal Kapoor, Boman Irani, Aly Khan, Nawwab Shah, Florian Lukas

Story and Screenplay: Farhan Akhtar, Ameet Mehta, Amrish Shah

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Director: Farhan Akhtar

Rating: ****

Both Salman and Shah Rukh Khan are, perhaps, the biggest prisoners of their own success stories in Bollywood. While the former is deeply mired in his ever brooding Bhai image it is SRK, who at times, redeems himself with his suave performances.

No, I certainly have no doubts about their acting prowess. They both are extremely talented gentlemen and a treat to watch on screen. But for that you need to have capable directors like Farhan Akthar or Abhinav Kashyap who don’t get too deferential to the biggest stars of our times. Perhaps that’s why a Chulbul Pandey or Kabir Khan charms the pants off you while Lovely Singh and Shekhar Subramanium look like a poor joke.

So yes, Don 2 is FARHAN AKHTAR’s film who gives us SRK we all love to see – funny, witty and never too loud.

Barely ten minutes into the film and you are sold to his Don who is back with his eviler designs and delectable wisecracks. He is a suitable cousin to Ethan Hunt and Danny Ocean, an anti-hero planning to rob a Berlin bank of its euro printing plates in a daring heist.

To do so he escapes with his old foe, Vardhan (Boman Irani) from a Malaysian prison giving yet another heartburn to ex-flame Roma (Priyanka Chopra) and veteran cop Malik (Om Puri).

What ensues is high octane action, deadly car chases, treachery and of course unpretentious dark humour.

I’m sure the human moments will be missed by some in this slick thriller but then they may have very well worked against the film which has some ruthless men saying very mean things to each other. Well, how can you expect a man like Don to go all mushy over a girl, who puts his enemies under a bone crushing machine and exhorts them to make a right choice by saying “Main Nahi Chahta Tum Kisi Dabav Mein Koi Faisla Lo.”

Shah Rukh Khan is spot on as Don. Perhaps with this film, he is out of the shadow of the original Don. Now, he can certainly look forward to the subsequent sequels of this franchise without getting compared to Mr. Bachchan.

Priyanka Chopra looks convincing as Roma. She is still not over her failed affair with Vijay/Don, looks impervious to his charm before finally giving in. But remember... it’s still complicated.

Lara Dutta glitters in her small cameo as Don’s liaison. Kunal Kapoor as Sameer Ali, Don’s technology consultant, is just okay for his screen space. Hrithik Roshan who makes fleeting appearance as a masquerading Don looks pleasant but sticks out like a sore thumb in otherwise believable Don adventures.

The script is taut. Music and background score are cracking. Songs don’t impede the story telling. The cinematography captures the virgin locales of Berlin in full glory as King Khan goes all wild on German streets.

Farhan Akhtar makes a welcome comeback behind the camera. Undoubtedly an accomplished actor, he should certainly direct more often. A special mention is in order for his writing team Ameet Mehta and Amrish Shah who make Don 2 not only a slick but a smart thriller as well.

So, while catching Don may be an impossible task for the Police force around the world you can and certainly should catch him at a theatre near you.

Read more...

Bollywood box-office report of the week

This Friday's major release is going to be Farhan Akhtar's Shah Rukh Khan andPriyanka Chopra starrer, DON - THE KING IS BACK. There is no doubt that the film will embark on a good to great start and accumulate a huge weekend and get in to the top 3 of the best ever first three days. Having said that the film will have to remain stable even during the weekdays to emerge a clear hit. Needless to add that DON - THE KING IS BACK will do wonderfully in the overseas, challenging the record of the year's best, RA.ONE.

As expected the new releases of last Friday, PAPPU CAN'T DANCE SAALA and JO HUM CHAHEIN, saw a dull to poor run and lost out to the might of Tom Cruise's MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: THE GHOST PROTOCOL. With DON 2 releasing this week there is no hope for PAPPU CAN'T DANCE SAALA or JO HUM CHAHEIN.

Read more...

Mission Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Cast: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton

Director: Brad Bird

Rating: ***1/2

A bright, whirling, action-movie toy, the J.J. Abrams-produced “Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol” is certainly entertaining, although lacking suspense and surprise. Watching one of the film’s trademark stunts, I thought to myself, “Tom Cruise, you have some explaining to do to Bruce Willis.”

Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team of IMF agents are back — minus Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) for the most part, but with Brit tech whiz Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg, who’s worth his weight in sidekick gold) still aboard — this time directed by Brad Bird of Pixar fame in his first-ever live-action outing.

What Bird brings to the table is the genius Pixar touch: He turns Ethan and his fellow agents into a variation of the superhero family of “The Incredibles.”

New to the team are warrior princess Jane Carter (alarmingly gorgeous Paula Patton, “Precious”) and seeming desk jockey William Brandt (Jeremy Renner, “The Town”).

Blamed for a 9/11-like bombing of the Kremlin, the team members are disavowed by the U.S. president, who evokes “Ghost Protocol.” (I know, what?) The truth is the IMF team is on the trail of Swedish madman Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist of the great Swedish trilogy “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”), who is intent on starting a nuclear world war using Russian missiles.

This time around, Renner is the one who leaps from a high perch only to stop midair — inches before fatally crashing. Cruise, for his part, scales the world’s tallest building with nothing more than a pair of not-very-reliable, computerized suction gloves (like I said, paging Elastigirl).

What Bird and the screenwriting team of Josh Appelbaum and Andre Nemec don’t get is that just photographing Cruise standing at an open window near the top of the 2,217-foot-high Burj Khalifa building in Dubai is sufficient to amaze and terrify the audience.

The rest of the stuff is extraneous and familiar. The best bit in the film is a truly amazing, high-tech illusion the IMF team pulls off in the Kremlin.

If you want to watch the film for it being shot in India, and for Anil Kapoor, you'll be sorely disappointed. Only two minutes of actual India make it to the film.

The other shots thought to be filmed in the country, have actually been shot in Indian localities of North America. Kapoor barely has a few minutes' role as a lecherous business tycoon. It's not enough either for his fans or his detractors.

These “Mission: Impossible” films, which kicked off in 1996, have been Cruise’s attempt to create a James Bond-like franchise for himself, and while Cruise has succeeded at the box office, the films have been hit-and-miss, and Ethan Hunt is no James Bond.

Still, this “M:I” is a lot of fun. No one’s going to pretend this film is deep or meaningful but, at its best, it really is pretty awesome.

Read more...

Top 10 Bollywood movies of 2011

From real life sagas to sci-fi and experimental to sentimental dramas - Bollywood's potpourri of hits offered a wide range of themes. Films like "No One Killed Jessica", "Ra.One" and "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" not only satiated the moviegoer's appetite but also yielded profits for the Hindi film industry.

Here we lists the top 10 movies of the year:

1. "Bodyguard": Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor's "Bodyguard" broke the opening day records by earning Rs.22 crore on the first day. Although the story of the film, directed by Atul Agnihotri, didn't have much to say, the music as well as the action sequences worked in its favour.

Salman's signature dialogue - "Mujh par ek ehsaan karna ki mujh par koi ehsaan na karna" - once again struck a chord with fans.

2. "Ra.One": World class VFX, amazing graphics, innovative marketing, tie-ups with multiple brands and Shah Rukh Khan as the superhero made sci-fi thriller "Ra.One" a profitable venture. Another highlight of the film was its music, especially the song "Chamak challo" sung by international rapper Akon. And the marathon promotion by the superstar helped bring people to the theatres.

3. "The Dirty Picture": Her sensuous look shocked, her itsy-bitsy clothes astonished and her double meaning dialogues left audiences gasping for breath, but all this nothwithstanding, Vidya Balan swept both the classes and the masses off their feet with her bold avatar in Ekta Kapoor's "The Dirty Picture".

An unofficial biopic of southern sex symbol Silk Smitha, the film broke the myth that only movies with "Khans" work at the box office.

4. "Ready": Romantic comedies have been a staple of Hindi films and this year Salman Khan's "Ready" used the recipe to earn profits. Shot in exotic locales of Thailand, director Anees Bazmee's drama about mistaken identity saw Salman romancing Asin Thottumkal amid all the hotch-potch in their lives, thanks to their onscreen relatives.

5. "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara": Focussing on three bachelors dealing with their friendship and romance, the well-scripted film, with a resemblance to real life episodes, was supported by beautiful performances by the talented cast - Hrtihik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, with Kalki Koechlin and Katrina Kaif as their love interests.

Kudos to director Zoya Akhtar for bringing liveliness, happiness and joyfulness with such deftness on screen through an adventurous road film mostly based in Spain.

6. "Singham": An out-and-out action film, the success of "Singham" proves that there are takers for such films. Based on the "good wins over evil" theme, the actioner takes a dig at the corruption within the police department through two main characters - honest cop Ajay Devgn and Prakash Raj as a corrupt politician. Director Rohit Shetty's film also marked southern actress Kajal Aggarwal's debut in Bollywood.

7. "Rockstar": Give him a good role and he can sink his teeth into it. Ranbir Kapoor proved that again by stepping into the shoes of a musician. From a cute and simple college boy to a crazy lover to a successful but cynical singer, the young actor proved his mettle in every frame.

The film appealed despite a faulty script, which had too many loose ends. In short, it was Ranbir's film, which launched American Pakistani model in the Bollywood business. Other high points of the movie were A.R. Rahman's music and Mohit Chauhan's singing.

8. "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan": Not good, not bad - that is how Yash Raj Films' "Mere Brother Ki Dulhan" could be described. Thanks to Imran Khan, Katrina Kaif and Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zaffar's tangled love story woven against the backdrop a wedding, the romantic comedy managed to pull the crowds. The film got mixed reviews, but managed to enter the top grosser list of the year.

9. "Delhi Belly": Replete with cuss words, weird situations, witty dialogues, the experimental movie in the English language targeted the urban audiences, who hailed this free will adult comedy as they identified with the characters of Imran Khan, Kunal Roy Kapoor and Vir Das in the movie. If director Abhinay Deo faced failure with "Game", this film pulled him out of darkness and Aamir Khan once again proved that he has a knack for choosing the best scripts as a producer.

10. "Yamla Pagla Deewana": After the 2007 release "Apne", the Deol trio - Sunny, Bobby and Dharmendra - returned to the big screen with the comic caper "Yamla Pagla Deewana" by director Sameer Karnik.

Though a small budget film, it received an overwhelming response. The impeccable comic timing between the father and sons struck a chord with the audiences.

Read more...

‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ Movie Review

The con movie gets a desi twist with Yash Raj Film's latest

Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma in 'Ladies vs Ricky Bahl'

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma Atwal and Aditi Sharma

Director: Maneesh Sharma

Produced by: Yash Raj Films

‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ opens in Delhi, quickly weaves in a peppy dance number with lots of Punjabi phrases, and soon has Ranveer Singh’s character pronouncing question as quechen (much like he pronounced biscuit as biskoot in ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’). We did feel a sense of déjà vu in the first 15 minutes of this new movie, which had its world premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival. Would elements from the hit that was Ranveer’s debut keep showing up in his latest? Well, ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ pretty much takes its own, unique direction after that, until it gets to the end, where the ‘Haven’t we seen his before?’ moment occurs again. Along the way though, it is mostly a fun journey.

We are first introduced to Ranveer as Sunny, the gym instructor boyfriend of Delhi rich girl Dimple Chaddha (a very impressive Parineeti Chopra). It’s no secret that our hero is a conman, and, in a scene, where he brings home a drunk and passed-out Dimple home to her parents, he demonstrates just how good he is at smooth-talking. We see it coming that Sunny will cheat Dimple and her dad (who, in turn, had been trying to cheat Sunny). What comes as a surprise is that the girl still loves him, despite knowing that all she was to him was another victim. Dimple hangs on to a picture she’s got of Sunny, not willing to share it with the police, but not sure what she wants to do with it either.

The next conman avatar served up is Deven Shah, who just happens to have an M F Husain painting handy just when Mumbai-based corporate hotshot Raina Parulekar (Dipannita Sharma Atwal) desperately wants it. Raina’s company is cheated out of Rs 60 lakhs, and she is accused by her boss of having been part of the con. Not one to take this lying down, she declares on national TV that she will find the man responsible, and clear her name.

Next, Dimple contacts Raina, and they’re also contacted by Lucknow based Saira Rashid (Aditi Sharma, who was so good in ‘Mausam’ and is just as effective playing a subdued character here). The episode of Saira’s conning is narrated in flashback, which lends a nice variation to the proceedings.

So the three ladies who’ve been conned decide to get back at the conman. Raina believes she knows just the girl to do the job. Enter Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma), a fast-talking saleswoman.

The movie moves along fairly well even as Ishika puts the moves on Vikram Thapar (that’s our conman, now in Goa). She pretends to be a motel heiress, who wants to set up her own restaurant business in India to show her dad what she’s made of. She wants Vikram to invest in her project, and that’s the money the girls want to recover.

So far, so believable. What isn’t really well-explored is how Vikram and Ishika fall in love. ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ gives lots of focus to the ladies (Parineeti, Dipannita and Aditi) and they do full justice to their well-written roles. In comparison, Anushka’s part seems under-written, and, somehow, not as real as the others. She’s a good actress, of course. But that always dialed-up perkiness seems to pop up in every character she plays. That often makes her roles indistinguishable from one another.

That quibble aside, things get more interesting when the conman finds out that Ishika has been planted to con him. Ranveer is really good in the scenes after that discovery, and when he says later, towards the end, “I’m too good, na?”, we have to agree.

There’s no backstory to this conman, no family tragedy that made him turn to crime, he just seems to enjoy the thrill of outwitting someone. Why just women? No idea, and that’s how this story by Aditya Chopra wants to keep it. Whatever the reason, Ranveer makes the part his own.

We’d somehow been expecting a ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ kind of ending for ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’. What we get instead is something similar to ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’. It’s a good ending for the romantics, but if you’re a fan of the con, you will be disappointed.

Also, since this is a Yash Raj film, there are the usual YRF elements. Hot stars in sizzling scenes (Ranveer shows off his six-pack from a lot of angles and Anushka enters and emerges from a swimming pool in a black bikini); a reference to a movie from the production house (‘Tashan’ plays on a 52-inch TV); and a multiple salute to Shah Rukh Khan.

Overall though, ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ is a movie that’s worth watching. There’s a really good performance from Parineeti, and she also has the best lines in the movie (from her outburst at her dad about his double standards or her dismay at seeing that her ex-boyfriend is more ripped than ever). Habib Faisal’s dialogues, as always, have an inherent honesty about them. So whatever the characters say, it sounds real.

And ultimately, these are interesting characters who live in interesting times. Go watch ‘Ladies vs Ricky Bahl’ for them.

Read more...

The Dirty Picture Review

Cast: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Emraan Hashmi, Tusshar Kapoor, Rajesh sharma

Producer: Ekta Kapoor

Director: Milan Luthria

Rating ***1/2

First: a disclaimer. If cheesy one-liners, ample cleavage displays and orgasms - fake or otherwise - make you uncomfortable then stay away from this film.

‘The Dirty Picture’ not only thrives on these traits but literally celebrates them like never before in its 144 minutes of unabashed, in-your-face entertainment, entertainment and entertainment.

Undoubtedly, it is Vidya’s one of the finest outings in which she portrays the role of a troubled item queen Silk, 'inspired' from the real-life story of Silk Smitha.

Here’s a sneek peak into her tragic tale:

Reshma (Vidya) is a non-conformist who leaves her home to become a star in the big bad world of Tollywood. She has no qualms about her sexuality. She is brazen enought to put her neighbours to sleep with her fake moans. She is well aware that everything comes at a price, especially the much-vaunted fame.

After a series of rejections at the hands of casting directors, she finally lands up a solo-dance number but the ‘artistic’ director of the film Abraham (Emraan Hashmi) robs her off that big-ticket to silver screen. Heartbroken, she is ready to go back to her sleepy village, when the producer (Rajesh Sharma) restores her risqué jig in the film to pep up the tepid collections and sets box-office on fire.

The world wakes up to Silk and now no film is complete without her ‘dirty’ antics. Be it Suryakant (Naseeruddin Shah) her childhood crush and now aging superstar or millions of wolf-whistling frontbenchers, no one seems to keep their eyes, minds or hands off Silk.

She relishes in every bit of attention coming her way and treats every strand of criticism with utter disdain. Magazines and gossipmongers damn her as the scum of this planet but Silk won’t budge. She belittles them on their own turf with her raw charm.

But as they say, success without honour is an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won't taste good. And Silk learns this bitter truth the hard way.

Though people lap up her every act yet she remains their dirty secret only, stashed somewhere in their closets, baths or dark bedrooms not deemed worthy of their company. She chooses not to pay attention but reality comes to bite her at last when her own mother spurns her and slams the door on her face. And so does rest of the world, one day.

Series of failed love/lust affairs with Surya and his younger brother Ramakant (Tusshar) leave her bitter and Silk smashes all the remaining pretence of decency and decorum in public as well. In her last ditch effort to salvage her pride Silk takes on her nemesis, Abraham, in a triple-role extravaganza but eventhat turns out to be a flameout and she sinks further into the abyss of depression.

The two hardest things to handle in life are failure and success and Silk stands miserable and exposed on both counts. Ironically, Abraham - the man who hated her the most, is now the only solace in her troubled life. But even his affection is too little too late to resuscitate her decrepit soul...

With ‘The Dirty Picture’ director, Milan Luthria tries to explore the dirty underbelly of the Indian cinema and excavates a gem in the form of Vidya Balan. You can’t help but appreciate the effort she puts in to make her Silk look authentic.

In the age where majority of leading ladies won’t dare to look ugly or overweight, Vidya carries her ample love-handles and haggard looks with aplomb. It’s the role which is bound to earn her some of the most prestigious awards in town

Here are a few things you’ll like about the film, apart from Vidya:

A taut first-half replete with Rajat Arora’s witty and at-time borderline one-liners. Naseer Saab’s slithery lothario Surya and Emran Hashmi’s understated yet powerful Abraham.

What you may not like is the dragging second-half where the film seems to run out of steam. Unlike the situational ‘Ooh La La’, both the songs in the second half seem forced. Silk’s fall from the grace looks a bit too simplistic as well, though Milan does redeem himself in the climax as she meets her tragic end.

All in all, ‘The Dirty Picture’ may not be your perfect family outing but it sure is the ‘Silk’ route you must take this weekend.

Read more...

Desi Boyz Movie Final Review

Fun and boys bonding makes for great comedy in Rohit Dhawan's latest

'Desi Boyz' provides plenty of laughs

Cast: Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone, Chitrangda Singh, Anupam Kher

Director: Rohit Dhawan


Boys bonding is a great subject for comedies. Tarun Mansukhani tried it in ‘Dostana’. Debutant director Rohit Dhawan gives a far more blithe and effervescent spin to that thing called friendship that makes us do all kinds of weird and wonderful things. Sometimes in tandem.

‘Desi Boyz’ is a very entertaining yarn about two guys in Britain taking on recession with a bit of naughty moonlighting as, ahem ahem, gigolos. Or, as brothel-chief Sanjay Dutt (who comes to the strains of ‘Nayak nahin khalnayak hoon main’, a la ‘Ra.One’) describes it, Jerry (Akshay Kumar) and Nick (John Abraham) are in the business of making women smile.

‘Desi Boyz’ goes beyond the fair sex. It makes everyone smile most of the while. The editing (Nitin Rokade) is seamless, bringing together the four principal actors' individual charms into a collective space without crowding the canvas. To their credit every principal actor, and that includes Anupam Kher (playing Deepika Padukone's zany dad) and Omi Vaidya (as her wimpy fiance) seems to get into the film's vivacious frothy mood without letting the dark underbelly of the film be squandered in frivolity.

Remarkably the film's light crisp upper-crust secretes a hard, somber bedrock of truth about how tough life can get in a super-competitive society where keeping up appearances can also mean looking your best after being told you've just lost your job.

Devastation is no reason for cosmetic bankruptcy.

Among this film's many virtues of being an engaging rom-com is its unmistakable glamour. The four main actors have seldom looked so fetching. Is it the camera (N. Natarajan Subramnaniam), the lighting and the choreography, all first-rate, or is it something more? The sheer pleasure that the actors derive in getting into the mood of an intelligently-written comedy is palpable, almost every step along the way. You can't miss the pride in playing a part in a parody that never plays dumb.

The narration moves effortlessly even while negotiating the highly filmy episodes. There is a heart-wrenching orphaned little boy (Virej Dasani, adorably cute) who needs a home with his bankrupt uncle (Akshay Kumar) badly. In movies of yore the heroines would perform mujras in kothas to preserve the sanctity of their family values. Here the boys strip and dance for their recession-hit lives.

Admirably Rohit Dhawan's screenplay turns the men into sex objects with comic candour and without a trace of self consciousness. Not that the women are any less attractive to the eye. Deepika Padukone has not much to do, and Chitrangda even less. The latter gets to play strip poker during exam revision with her 'student' Akshay Kumar.

It's a brilliantly written scene full of tantalising possibilities.

‘Desi Boyz’ has ample room for skin-show and cheesiness. It goes for the skin with élan and avoids the cheesy ramifications by simply turning away from double meanings (the director Rohit's father David Dhawan's forteBut the overall impression is that of a class comic act, a sumptuously-mounted sex comedy, no pun, but plenty fun, intended.

The songs (Pritam) and the choreography remain true to the film's entertainment-quotient. And the performances are a delight. Deepika has just a couple of scenes to sink her teeth into. She's a delight in the sequence where she tries to win John back from a Caucasian diversion in a pub. Chitrangda's sexy teacher act echoing Sushmita Sen in ‘Main Hoon Na’, shows her taking full charge of the commercial language. She smoulders.

John Abraham had hardly ever been seen having so much fun. Though his dancing is still lumbering, this ranks as his most watchable performance since ‘New York’. And Anupam Kher as his father-in-law-to-be brings a queer blend of a 17-going-on-70 boy-man to his patriarch's part. Great fun to play and to view.

But the film finally belongs to Akshay Kumar, make no mistake about that. While other A-list stars from his generation have begun to look faded at the edges Akshay gets better with each film. Here, in this film, his comic timing is matched by his ability to hold up dramatic moments without letting them sink into over-sentimentality. This is arguably Akshay's best performance in a comic role since Priyadarshan's ‘Hera Pheri’.

Put your hands together for ‘Desi Boyz’. Smart, sassy, sexy and sparkling with dark audacious humour, the film brings us a striking director in Rohit Dhawan.

Read more...