All Reviews

Thugs of Hindostan2018

It was a rather sedate Saturday with hardly much to do & I couldn't have chosen a better day to watch "Thugs of Hindostan" which I was eagerly looking forward to. Though I never read reviews prior to watching any movie, a couple of my friends did mention that they werent impressed with TOH. I have to admit that it did dampen my spirits, but I was still optimistic after all Aamir rarely falters in choosing a worthy script. Withe the Super Sunday matches just a couple of hours away, will TOH prove to be a sumptous appetizer for it or will I have the same experience as my buddies??? The story unfolds in the late 18th century when the East India Company were slowly & steadily establishing themselves as rulers of India. Led by the ruthless British officer Clive (Lloyd Owen), their latest target was Raunakpur which was ruled by Mirza Sikander Baig (Ronit Roy). As the brave & proud king refused to bow before the company, his whole family was brutally murdered by Clive's men. However, Princess Safira (Fatima Sana Shaikh) was rescued by their General, Khudabaksh (Big B). As time passed by, Khudabaksh, Safira & his band of soldiers proved to be a constant headache for the British. With all their efforts to imprison Khudabaksh proving to be futile, they hatch a plot to infiltrate the former's group. They entrust the task upon the cunning Firangi Mallah (Aamir Khan) in exchange for wealth. So will Firangi nail Khudabaksh or will the latter succeed in making Firangi into a worth human being??? The last time that Vijay Krishna Acharya had called the shots was for "Dhoom 3" which was close to half a decade back. Though it set the box office on fire, it didnt quite match upto the usual standards of an Aamir movie. So I was really surprised when Aamir decided to join hands with Vijay yet again, but when Big B was also roped in; it proved to be a casting coup that had everyone excited. Unfortunately that was the only thing that Vijay managed to do enthrall the audience with as his script & screenplay was mediocre. Apart from the fact that the characters & template of the movie looked heavily inspired from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series such as Firangi/Jack Sparrow, Khudabaksh/Barbossa etc, the story just didnt have anything worthwhile that would have made it unique. On the technical side, the film definitely looked grand & kudos to Manush Nandan for the stunning visuals. Even the action sequences were pretty impressive while John Stewart did a praise worthy job with the BGM especially the one used for Firangi while there was another score which seemed like inspired from "Avengers: Infinity War". The same cant be said for Ritesh Soni whose editing was far from ideal while Ajay-Atul's music was average. Despite the pedestrian script, I felt Aamir did a fine job as the duplicitous Firangi who goes all out with his whacky mannerisms which is endearing for most parts. Big B had a rather stiff character to portray but he did utmost justice to it though it wasnt a challenging role for a person of his caliber. As for the rest, Lloyd Owen was ok, Fatima Sheikh wasnt quite upto the mark, Katrina didnt have much to do apart from groove while Mohammed Ayyub was wasted. Verdict: After a record breaking initial of more than 50 C, it has since then been on a steady slide which was understandable after all the movie was well short of expectations. This was one of those rare movies where Aamir's judgement of the script had faltered & a classic movie from two of the finest actors in Bollywood was denied to the audience. Hopefully we will get to see them paired up again in a much better movie. But until then, it's better not to be bothered by this mundane flick!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Badhaai Ho2018

It's been an eventful week with the Sabarimala issue & MeToo campaign creating waves across the nation. Bollywood has been at the centre of the MeToo campaign with Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl etc. being accused of having made sexual advancements towards their colleagues. But even as this issue is burning on, we had a couple of movies that had hit the screens this weekend. One of them happened to be Amit Ravindernath's "Badhaai Ho" which had quite an interesting trailer due to which I decided to check it out. Hope it wont be as mediocre as "Helicopter Eela". Nakul (Ayushmann Khurrana) works in a MNC & dates his colleague, Renee (Saniya Malhotra). He hailed from a middle class Delhi family where his father, Jeetender Kaushik (Gajraj Rao) worked in the Railways while his mother, Priyamvada (Neena Gupta) was a typical housewife who took care of her rather irritating mother in law (Surekha Sikri). Things moved along uneventfully in the household until Priyamvada becomes pregnant which her sons disapproved of as it made many of their friends & relatives to mock them. It even rocked Nakul's relationship with Renee & how he as well as his family comes to terms with the arrival of the new member forms the crux of the movie. After the forgetful "Tevar" that released in 2015, Amit Sharma is back this time with a story rooted in reality which is portrayed with a dash of humour. The major strength of the movie is the manner in which the situations are treated with sensitivity & realism and kudos for the script goes to Shanatanu Srivastava , Akshat Ghildial and Jyoti Kapoor. Amit deserves praise for having done justice to the script as it doesnt bore the audience even for a brief moment. On the technical side, Sanu Varghese's visuals were impressive while Tanishk Bagchi's music & Abhishek Arora's BGM was fine. Though Ayushmann might not be in the league of Rajkummar Rao, I have always been impressed with his choice of movies as he makes an earnest effort to dabble with various genres. More often than not, he invariably comes out in flying colours just like how he has done here & "Andhadhun" a fortnight back. It's been a while since we have seen Neena Gupta in a meaty role & she was brilliant as Priyamvada as her expressions more than effectively conveyed the emotions without having to use words. Gajraj Rao was fantastic along with Surekha Sikhri, who could have easily gone overboard but handled with elan. As for the rest of the cast, Saniya Malhotra continues to impress with each performance while Sheeba Chaddha was classy as usual. Verdict: It has all the ingredients that will make it endearing to the audience. In all probability, it should be a winner at the box office. Though we have had movies like "Pavithram" etc., this is an interesting movie in it own way. In short, definitely give it a try!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Andhadhun2018

With Team India having demolished the Windies inside three days in the first Test at Rajkot, it pretty much meant that there was hardly anything else to watch over the weekend. That's when I happened to come across a couple of articles that spoke highly of "Andhadhun". Since it was directed by the brilliant Sriram Raghavan & had Tabu as one of the protagonists. I was more than eager to watch it. Akash (Ayushmann Khurrana) is a talented 'blind' pianist who aspired to make it big in the music world. Despite numerous efforts, he wasn't able to earn a break & it was at this juncture that he meets Sophie (Radhika Apte) who offers him a job at her father's club. His performance at the club earns him numerous fans one of them happens to be yesteryear Bollywood star, Pramod Sinha (Anil Dhawan), who invites him over to his apartment for a private concert as an anniversary gift for his wife, Simi (Tabu). But little did Akash realise that this honour would turn out to be a nightmare & change his life forever. Based on the French short film "L'Accordeur" (The Piano Tuner) in 2010 by Oliver Treiner, this flick belongs to the black comedy thriller genre that keeps us hooked until the very last scene. Sriram's credentials as a film-maker needs no introduction with movies like "Ek Hasina Thi", "Johnny Gaddaar" etc to his credit. He has also penned this engaging script in the company of Arijit Biswas, Pooja Surti & Yogesh Chandekar and it has got the various elements like murder, betrayal, double crossing, sex etc with a liberal sprinkling of wry humour. Just as in his previous movies, all characters have shades of grey & they are morally flawed. The unusual sequences which is a signature of Sriram can be observed right from the first shot (& be sure to watch it keenly) while his love for the past like Chitrahaar, Sholay, Scream etc., is all showcased here. Though the tempo slacks off towards the early part of the second half, it slowly regains its punch later on & finishes with a bang. Apart from the script, the technical aspects have also contributed significantly in enhancing the viewer's experience. Key among them was Amit Trivedi's music & BGM which was impressive with 'Wo Ladki' rendered by Arijit Singh being my personal favourite. Equally praise worthy work was observed from K U Mohanan's smartly lighted frames & Pooja Surti's well thought out editing. In the performance part, Ayushmann was fantastic & continues to improve with each movie. It was imperative that he was in form as he was up against Tabu who always gives a thumping performance & this was a meaty role that gave her more adequate scope to rock. As for the rest of the cast, Radhika Apte didnt have much screen space while Zakir Hussain , Anil Dhawan, Manav Vij did their parts aptly. Verdict: With a cracking script, skillful direction & excellent performances; it should be a winner at the boxoffice, However, more often than not intelligent movies like these fail to garner the adequate number of footfalls. Anywaz it deserves to be watched & if you are a fan of thrillers, then dont think twice. In short, dont miss it!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Sui Dhaaga2018

A couple of weeks back, I happened to come across an interesting video where quite a few popular stars like Shahrukh, Akshay etc. were asked to thread a needle. That's when I realized that it was for the promotion of Sharat Katariya's "Sui Daaga" which had Varun Dhawan & Anushka Sharma as the lead pair. Since the trailer showed both in completely different avatars, it aroused my curiosity & I decided to check it out. Hopefully it didn't dampen my spirits after the high of Mani Ratnam's CCV. Based in a small town, the film takes us into the life of Mauji (Varun Dhawan) who worked at a retail sewing machine shop. Apart from his work, his bosses were particularly interested in his ability to entertain them with his antics. Though he knew that his bosses belittled him, he looked at it as an opportunity to remain in their good books since he needed the job to support his family. Incidentally, they belonged to the artisan clan, but since it wasn't sufficient to support the household, his father (Raghubir Yadav) opted for the job of a peon & was adamant that his sons also didn't pursue their traditional profession. Things moved along uneventfully, until Mauji's wife Mamta (Anushka Sharma) instills in him the urge to earn self-respect & the confidence to set up his own tailoring establishment. How they both support each other & realize their dreams forms the crux of the movie. This is the third venture of Sharat Katariya with his previous being "Dum Laga Ke Haisha" which was kinda entertaining. Apart from direction, he had taken on the responsibility of writing the script as well & has given us an endearing story that works for more parts. The only portion where he went overboard was the climax where it was not in sync with reality be it the fashion show sequence & the wardrobes that he had created for it. As far as the technical aspect goes, Andrea Guerra's BGM added more impact to many of the scenes and reminded me of Hollywood underdog movies. Among the younger Bollywood actors, Varun Dhawan will surely rank as one among the few to look out for in the future since he does many of the genres reasonably well. As Mauji, he has given an earnest performance while Anushka Sharma who has been choosing roles carefully for quite a while has done appraise worthy job as well. As for the rest of the cast, Raghubir Yadav, Yamini Das etc have done their parts aptly. Verdict: As expected, it has performed quite well at the box office with the families warming onto it. There is no doubt that it has an endearing tale that makes us root for the underdog despite the climax being rather outlandish. In short, give it a try!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards…Ben

Batti Gul Meter Chalu2018

It was one of the most exciting weekends in recent times courtesy of the high-profile matches which were on offer. This included Tiger Wood's 80th PGA tour title, Team India's emphatic win over the Paks & Federer led Team Europe's successful defense of the Laver Cup. There were a couple of movies as well that I got to check out apart from the games & one of them happened to be Shree Narayan's "Batti Gul Meter Chalu". Since his previous putting was Akki's "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", I was particularly interested to watch it after all this also seemed to be rooted in reality. SK (Shahid Kapoor), Nauti (Shraddha Kapoor) & Tripathi (Divyendu Sharma) were childhood friends who stuck to each other through thick & thin. Among the three, SK was a sly lawyer who was always on the lookout for some quick bucks which he acquired through the blackmail of potential law offenders. Nauti was a fashion designer while Tripathi who was the meekest among the three ventured into business & opened a small-scale printing company. However, with constant power shortages in the region; it wasn't easy to meet the demands of the customers & to make it worse, the electricity board also slapped him with outrageous bills for illogical reasons. Hoping to resolve the matter, he took it up with the ombudsman but to no avail. In the meantime, the friendship between the trio also crumbled due to the affair between Nauti & Tripathi which SK found it difficult to accept. Even though Tripathi turned towards SK for his legal support, the latter's frosty behavior kinda made it evident that he wasn't keen to help him out. So how was Tripathi going to get out of this mess before he loses his entire livelihood??? With a host of praise worthy movies to his credit, Shree Narayan has earned himself a respectable name as an editor & hopes to achieve the same as a director as well. This happens to be his third venture & just like "TEPK", he has opted for a social issue like the lack of electricity & the cut-throat attitude of the electricity boards. He takes a considerable amount of time to set the stage & by the time, he does come to the core issue it doesn't hit you as forcefully as one would expect. Apart from a couple of scattered chuckles, the court scenes don't make us sit up & take notice, the blame for which also lies on Vipul Rawal's rather average script which had the potential but fizzes out with barely a whimper. None of the technical aspects quite caught my eyes & hence doesn't deserve a mention. Despite the rather uninspiring making, I felt all the three main artists has done a reasonably good job with Shahid being the pick among the lot. He has given an earnest performance with his humour & energy while quite a few like Sudhir Pandey, Farida Jalal & Sushmita Mukherjee who are proven artists are wasted. Verdict: With not much of a competition, the producers would have hoped that the movie will recreate the magic of "TEPK". But with a rather uninspiring & bland script, it failed to impress the audience. In short, a rude shock to Shree who would have hoped that the people would back him after his previous praise worthy outing!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards…Ben

Manmarziyaan2018

Just a week back, I was profusely praising Anurag Kashyap for his brilliant performance in "Imaikka Nodigal" & the maestro was back this week in his director's apparel for "Manmarziyaan". From the trailer, it was kinda evident that it's quite unlike what Anurag has worked with in the past & that in itself excited me further. Interestingly, the movie featured Abhishek Bachchan who is back after a two-year break ("to re-energise" as per what he said; hmm, so it wasn't due to lack of movies???). Anywaz his success rate as a solo hero has been patchy, pretty much like Sri Lanka's abysmal record since Sanga & Mahela retired. So, will his movie follow the fate of the Lankans in the Asia Cup??? Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) is an attractive, bold & free-spirited Punjabi kudi who was madly in love with the equally crazy & bindaas Vicky Sandhu (Vicky Kaushal). The latter was a DJ who aspired for a successful music career though he didn't seem to work hard for it, while Rumi oversaw her family's sports goods store. Their affair was known to everyone in the locality & her family after having caught them goofing around started searching alliances for her. However, Rumi's adamancy forces them to offer some time to her, so that Vicky could seek his folks' permission to ask her hand in marriage. But with Vicky being apprehensive of commitment, Rumi decided to tie the knot with Robbie Bhattia (Abhishek Bachchan), a UK based banker that her family had chosen for her. The question was whether Rumi & Vicky could forget everything & get on with their new lives or will Robbie be handed out a raw deal??? Nowadays, we hardly come across directors who works in more than two projects in a single year & interestingly, "Manmarziyaan" happened to be Anurag's third directorial venture this year after "Mukkabaaz" & "Lust Stories". Unlike his previous movies, this hasn't been scripted by him as it was by Kanika Dhillon who had earlier written the screenplay for "Ra One" & "Size Zero" (Telugu/Tamil). It might sound odd, but I felt like this was the 2018 version of "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" with carnal instincts being more prominent. Despite having a running time of 155 minutes, it still manages to keep us engaged for large portions especially in the first half. Apart from Anurag's decent direction & Sylvester Fonseca's visuals, there are two major reasons which makes this movie work & those are the cast as well as Amit Trivedi's excellent music. The latter has undoubtedly produced the best soundtrack among all the movies that has released this year. Ever since "Pink" released a couple of years back, Taapsee has consistently impressed with her choice of scripts & praise worthy performances. She was brilliant as the vivacious Rumi & should be in pole position to claim a couple of awards for the best actress. Equally impressive was Vicky Kaushal who floored me yet again after "Sanju" & has been consistently churning out good performances. Last but not the least, Abhishek has done a fine job as well with his ability to convey emotions convincingly through expressions. The rest of the cast have all also done their parts aptly. Verdict: As per the latest box offices, the film made credible collections over the opening weekend making it the biggest in Anurag's career (who usually barely make it beyond 10 C). I don't think it will make much of an impact on the single screens & will have to depend on multiplexes for the revenue. However, it's worth a watch & I would suggest that you guys should give it a try!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards…Ben

Paltan2018

Whenever we speak about war movies, there are quite a few that instantly comes to mind instantly such as "Saving Private Ryan", "Hurt Locker", "Dunkirk" etc., to name a few. In general, it would be fair to admit that Hollywood has always done an impressive job in crafting such war drama. Unfortunately, the same yard stick cant be applied to Indian movies as we haven't explored much in that genre & among the ones that were picturised, "Border" was definitely my favorite. So when it was announced that J.P Dutta was back with yet another war saga, "Paltan" I was eager to check it out. The question was whether Dutta still had the goods to deliver another gritty movie??? As history says, our nation suffered a crushing defeat in the hands of China in the war of 1962. This included documented reports as to how the Chinese resorted to dishonorable war tactics to defeat the famed Rajput regiment. About five years has passed but the tension between the nations shimmered at the border which led to constant skirmishes between the armies. Lt Col Rai Singh (Arjun Rampal) & his battalion was entrusted with the task of protection of Nathu La region from possible Chinese incursions. With the Chinese constantly needling his forces with the construction of bunkers & other structures into our land, Col Rai orders fencing to to be laid along the perceived border. As expected, this irks the Chinese & it eventually blown out into a full fledged war. So did our Army finally have their revenge for 1962??? J.P Dutta is an individual who needs no introduction with movies like "Border", "LOC:Kargil" to his credit. However, he has been keeping a low profile in recent times with his last release being the forgetful "Umrao Jaan", more than a decade back. Apart from direction, he has also taken on the responsibility of the script & screenplay; all of which were below par to be frank. He had a compelling tale to narrate but he wasnt able to do justice to it as the conflict between the nations portrayed here seemed more like kids fighting in school. The dialogues at most instances were short slogans & the people who mouthed them didnt even an iota of expression of them. Unlike his previous war dramas which had charismatic actors, over here we are left with a bunch of earnest individuals including experienced campaigners who struggles to capture our attention. The age old problem in Indian movies of portraying foreigners like British, Pakis etc as dimwits & with a single shade in their character is repeated yet again with the Chinese portrayed as an easily agitated school bully. On the technical side, Shailesh Awasthi & Nigam Bomzan has captured the locales pretty well while Anu Malik's music was average at best. None of the known names like Jackie Shroff & Arjun Rampal were worthy of their roles as they seemed disinterested & even a robot could have delivered the dialogues as well as them or maybe even better. Among the rest, Harshvardhan Rane as Major Harbhajan Singh has done a fine job along with Gurmeet Choudhary while Sonu Sood was ok. Verdict: Without mincing words, I would have to say that this movie doesn't have working in its favour & is destined to tank at the box office. Except for the emotional scenes that unfold towards the end, there is nothing else that would even remotely make us empathize with the movie. In short, forget it!!! Rating: 1.5/5 Regards...Ben

Stree2018

Before I pen the review, I have to confess that I am not particularly a huge fan of the horror genre. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I don't watch it at all, as I have seen quite a few excellent ones such as "Omen", "Exorcist" etc. in the past. Even in our film industry, despite numerous mediocre (unintentionally hilarious) flicks there are quite a few which were pretty damn good such as "Raat" , "13B", "Bhoot" etc. When I saw the trailer of "Stree", I was interested to check it out as the star cast included the talented Rajkummar Rao & it belonged to the horror comedy category. So was it able to justice to its genre or is it pathetic that like most of the rest??? The film unfolds in the village of Chanderi in MP which is believed to be haunted by a female ghost who abducts men during their annual festival & leaves behind their clothes. So this continued for many years & none of the people were able to stop the ghost. The latest victim was Jaana (Abhishek Bhattacharya) whose close buddies were Vicky (Rajkummar Rao) & Bittu (Aparshakti Khurrana). Incidentally around the same time, Vicky had befriended a female (Shraddha Kapoor) who had approached him for certain unusual supplies. This naturally arouses the suspicion of Vicky & Bittu as to whether she was indeed the ghost as she wasn't seen by anyone else apart from the former. But how were they going to confirm it & if true, can she be stopped? This is the debut venture of Amar Kaushik, though he has assisted in a couple of projects one of which was "Go Goa Gone"; the first zombie comedy in the country. It was helmed by Raj Nidimoru & Krishna D K, who happens to have prepared the script & screenplay for the present venture. The uniqueness of this flick was that it was both hilarious & scary at the same time, with the men being the ones scared to walk in the dark unlike the normal status quo where women were the petrified group. Kudos to the script writers & Amar for being able to keep the audience engaged & they were also amply assisted by the hilarious dialogues by Sumit Arora. There is no doubt that it is a tad long & could have easily benefited if the meaningless songs were edited out. As for other technical aspects, it was executed well. Rajkummar Rao is undoubtedly one of the finest actors in the country, who excels irrespective of whatever role is give to him. He has done just that as the talented tailor Vicky who goes bonkers for the beautiful lass but musters up courage when he is face to face with the ghost.It's not so often that we get to see Shraddha Kapoor in a meaningful part & she has done utmost justice to her role. Another person who gives tough competition for Rajkummar is Pankaj Tripathi, who had the audience in splits as the scholar Rudra who had answer to everything related to the ghost. Equally impressive were Abhishek & Aparshakti and the rest of the cast who deserves a pat on their backs. Verdict: As expected, the public loved the movie & it has reflected in the box office collections, with the gross amount predicted to breach even the 100 C mark. It's surely a horror flick that will have you entertained with its conversational humour. In short, you will enjoy it!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Satyameva Jayate2018

As mentioned in my previous review on "Gold", the second Bollywood movie that I had watched over the same period was "Satyameva Jayate". Well to be frank, I didn't have much of a good feeling prior to watching it as the trailer didn't seem to offer anything new. But I still decided to check it out, hoping that it would be one of those rare John Abraham movies that was worth a try. Alas, I was grossly mistaken. Mumbai, the financial capital of our nation was home to over 2 lakh police officers; though a significant number among them had corruption charges slapped against them. With the judicial system proving to be ineffective against such individuals, Vir (John Abraham) a vigilante takes it upon himself to eliminate the tainted officers. As expected, this sends a chill down the spine of the force & they become the laughing stock of the media & the public, since the protectors themselves were incapable of protecting their own flock. Left with no choice, the Commissioner entrusts the case to his trusted lieutenant & the most efficient officer in the force; DCP Shivansh (Manoj Bajpayee). But irrespective of whatever moves Shivansh made, Vir was always a step ahead of him & the murders continued unabated. So how did Vir manage to do that despite the well laid plans of the former??? Milan Milap Zaveri is a name that not many would be aware of & it's not surprising after all he had directed just two forgetful movies prior to this (not worth mentioning). However, he has scripted numerous movies & quite a few of them are well known such as "Housefull","Heyy Babyy", "Kaante" etc. With regard to his latest flick, it's downright pathetic as it felt like a movie which should have released a couple of decades back. There was nothing that could be attributed as fresh in the plot & seemed like he made it combining quite a few yesteryear movies that he would have watched on DVD or Doordarshan. None of the technical aspects deserves mention, except for maybe the action sequences. How often have we seen John beat men into pulp & rip out whatever he can get his hands on. Well it's the same thing all over again while Manoj Bajpayee was wasted in a role which didnt require a person of his caliber. As for the rest of the cast, they were average at best while the female lead essayed by Aisha Sharma was rather mediocre. Verdict: Surprisingly, as per box office reports it has collected close to 90 C which has got me stunned to be frank. It might have been the holidays or the lack of other credible releases, but whatever might be the case; the producers wont complain. As far as my opinion goes, it's hardly worth wasting your time & can make you either sleep off or have a migrane!!! Rating: 1/5 Regards...Ben

Gold2018

About a month is about to pass since we celebrated the Independence Day & as always a couple of flicks which harped about patriotism made it's way to the theatres. However, since our state went through the worst floods in more than a century, I neither had the time nor felt it was appropriate to pen down as to what I thought about "Gold" & "Satyameva Jayate". The former had Akshay in the lead & it was a fictional take with a dose of reality about India's first Olympic gold in hockey after becoming independent. I have to admit that I have a soft corner for sports dramas, but was it so good so to have become a huge hit??? The year was 1936 & the two time defending Olympic champions British India was up against the Germans in the grand finale with Hitler in attendance. Though the team seemed flustered in the first half, the Indian team bolstered by Samrat's magic (Kunal Kapoor) & manager Tapan Das's inspirational pep talk (Akshay Kumar) turned the tables on their opponents & won the contest with ease. Incidentally, that was the last time the team played under the British India flag as the the next three Olympics were cancelled due to WWII. With the 1948 Olympics confirmed & the news of Indian independence turning out to be a reality, Tapan Das approaches the Hockey Federation to allow him to assemble a team for the tournament. Despite resistance from certain quarters due to his drinking problem & monetary mismanagement, he is given the permission to do the needful. Though he manages to put together a stellar team, little did he realise that partition will fragment the team in ways unimaginable. Reema Kagti is a relatively well known director with movies like "Honeymoon Travels Ltd" & "Talaash" to her credit, in addition to having scripted a few others as well. Her latest venture is a concoction of fact & fiction & is scripted by her in the company of Rajesh Devraj. Whenever we talk about hockey, the first name that comes to mind is Dhyan Chand & this character is portrayed as Kunal's Samrat while Tapan Das's role has shades of similarity with Pankaj Gupta. Some of the sequences depicted in the movie such as playing bare foot in wet conditions etc., are all inspired from real life events. The first half works better unlike the latter half which seemed pretty dramatic & over the top at times. With regard to the technical aspects, the art direction deserves praise, Anand Subayya's editing ought to have been tighter while Sachin-Jigar's music was fine though the placement of a few of them didnt make sense. Akshay has done a decent job as the manager though as a Bengali he wasnt quite upto the mark. Interestingly, quite a few others were brilliant in their roles such as Kunal Kapoor, Vineet Kumar Singh, Nikita Dutta & Sunny Kaushal. Even Amit Sadh was fine though a tad artificial at times while Mouni Roy was average. Verdict: As a sports drama, it doesnt quite match upto the benchmark set by "Chak De", but still provides an engaging viewing experience. It has notched impressive numbers at the box office though it had potential to have been much better. In short, check it out!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Vishwaroop 22018

If one is asked to name some of the finest actors that our nation has produced, then one actor who will invariably feature in everyone's list will be Kamal Hassan. His body of work over the past 50 years is nothing short of extraordinary, due to which we invariably wait with bated breath whenever his movie hit the screens. With the legend having plunged into active politics with the launch of his political party 'Makkal Needhi Maiam', he has announced that he is retiring from movies. If he does keep his word, then there are just 3 of his movies left of which "Vishwaroopam 2" has hit the screens this weekend. The prequel was top notch & so naturally, the expectations are nigh high. So will it be yet another Kamal classic??? Wisam Ahmad Kashmiri (Kamal Hassan) & his team is on the way to London to hand over the body of their deceased colleague to the family. However, their stay over there turned out to be eventful as an assassination plot had been hatched for Wisam & Col Jagannath (Shekhar Kapur) by Iyer (Anant Mahadevan), an Indian bureaucrat turned rogue. Both of them managed to escape unscathed with the Colonel eliminating Iyer while Wisam finds out that all of this was masterminded by his old foe, Omar Qureshi (Rahul Bose). To make matters worse, Omar was planning a terrorist attack on London by making use of bombs that had sank off England's coast during WWII, which incidentally still happened to be active. It was now upto Wisam to defuse the situation but it wasnt going to be easy as he was up against a wounded enemy who was well versed with all his tactics. Close to half a decade has passed since the release of "Vishwaroopam" which was without doubt a stylish espionage thriller that I felt was on par with Hollywood movies. Incidentally, a significant portion of the second part was shot along with the prequel itself but unforeseen issues such as financial crisis etc delayed the release. It is essentially a one man show as Kamal has taken care of all the major responsibilities & that could essentially might have been the reason why his script was just so uninspiring. The first half of the movie was spent predominantly on flashbacks & explanations as to what actually happened in the prequel which doesn't do anything apart from making the audience bored & confused. The actual terrorist plan seemed interesting but the manner in which it was executed was rather lame. Even the VFX, editing by Mahesh Narayan & the art direction which was fantastic in the prequel was pretty pathetic. However, it does have a couple of highlights such as Kamal's dialogues that touched upon various topics such as religion, geopolitics etc., Ghibran's music & the cinematography by Sanu Varghese and Shamdat Sainudeen. As expected, Kamal was brilliant as the protagonist especially when he delivers the lines, though his action sequences weren't exactly great . Pooja Kumar was definitely far better in this while Andrea Jeremiah was fine in her part. Shekhar Kapur & Anant Mahadevan were ok while Rahul Bose was wasted. Verdict: There is no doubt that the movie will have a fantastic initial owing to the praise worthy prequel & lack of competition at the box office. But for a person of Kamal's caliber, this movie is definitely a disappointment as the story lacked clarity & the flash backs that take up significant screen time didn't impart anything worthwhile to the overall impact. In short, it wont hurt to give it a miss!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Fanney Khan2018

With the boom of television channels at the turn of the new millennium, the audiences are bombarded with a plethora of programmes. Apart from the never ending soap operas that are lapped up by the masses, another prominent programme that has captured the imagination of the public are the reality shows. The fact of the matter is more often than not, there is no "reality" in such shows as it is smartly staged with an eye on the TRPs. There is no doubt that such shows has given platforms for numerous talented individuals to kick start their career but becoming a star isnt a cake walk. Incidentally Atul Manjrekar's debut venture "Fanney Khan" touches upon this subject in a humorous manner. The trailer was thoroughly entertaining but was the movie as good??? Prasanth Sharma/Fanney Khan (Anil Kapoor) was the lead vocalist in an orchestra in his younger days & aspired to become a singer like Rafi. However, he couldn't make his dream into reality & hoped that he could make his daughter, Lata (Pihu Sand) succeed where he faltered. She was definitely talented though her confidence to perform was invariably dented as she was regularly humiliated for being on the chubbier side. Since he struggled to make ends meet, he knew that his ambition to make a music album for his daughter was rather fetched. It is at this juncture that he decides to kidnap Baby Singh (Aishwarya Rai), the most sought after singing sensation in exchange for ransom with the help of his friend, Adhir (Rajkummar Rao). So will Lata become the star that her father dreamt of & if so, at what cost??? Based on the Belgian movie "Everybody's Famous" by Dominique Deruddere (which I haven't watched), the Bollywood version has been helmed by the debutant, Atul Manjrekar. He has also written the screenplay along with Hussain Dalal & Abbas Dalal, which though hilarious at times cant be denied to be rather silly & a climax that could sent the wrong signals. At the same time, he does pose some serious questions with regard to whether talent has to take back seat to glamour & compromise. There is no doubt that Atul missed a trick or two in making the more entertaining & meaningful, if he had made a couple of changes. Some of them being more screen time for the hilarious interactions between Anil, Ash & Rao, more focus on Pihu's relation with Anil etc. With regard to the technical aspects, pretty much everything was fine though Amit Trivedi's music stood out especially the "Tere Jaisa Tu Hai" track rendered by Monali Thakur. Anil Kapoor was excellent as the father who would go to any length to ensure that his daughter has a successful career. Pihu Sand has done a fine job along with Rajkummar, though the latter wasn't quite utilized. Similarly Aishwarya was an apt choice as the pop star but her pairing with Rajkummar seemed rather odd. As for the rest of the cast, they have done their parts aptly. Verdict: It had the makings of an hilarious entertainer but failed to realize its full potential due to Atul's inexperience & an average screenplay, which didn't know what ought to be highlighted & what not. It wont make much of a noise at the box office & might just be able to break even at best. So does it mean that it's a waste of time??? Hmm..that will be kinda harsh as I felt it's a decent time pass with hilarious sequences despite the outlandish plot & questionable climax !!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben

Mulk2018

Whether we like it or not, we live in a nation which has a significant number of people who gets easily swayed whenever the topic of "religion' comes up. As expected, many politicians use this strategy to their benefit by taking advantage of such gullible individuals. Even though we have developed as a nation in various aspects such as science, technology, education etc., we have failed to keep religious prejudices at bay. The fact is if such prejudices are left unchecked, it is powerful enough to unleash disharmony in the nation & we are already witness to such incidents rather frequently. This is exactly what is discussed in Anubhav Sinha's "Mulk", but is it too preachy & filmy or a replica of the ground reality??? Advocate Murad Ali (Rishi Kapoor) lived with his family in their ancestral home in Banaras & shared a warm relationship with everyone in the neighbourhood Things moved along smoothly until his nephew Shahid (Prateik Babbar) gets involved in a bomb blast that claims numerous lives. It turned out that he was influenced into becoming an extremist & was eventually shot dead in an encounter. The investigation team led by SSP Danish Javed (Rajat Kapoor) refused to believe that Shahid's family had no clue about his terrorist involvement. To make matters worse, circumstantial evidence seemed to indicate that Shahid's father Bilal (Manoj Pahwa) facilitated in the execution of his son's plan. This creates unrest in the locality with Murad Ali & his family isolated & insulted by even their friends & neighbours. However, that didn't deter Murad & his daughter in law, Arti (Taapsee Pannu) to seek justice & regain honour for their family who were innocent of Shahid's misendeavours. Anubhav Sinha came into the industry with a bang with an unexpected hit in the form of "Tum Bin", but couldnt quite recreate that form ever since. He had also helmed "Ra One" which was slammed by many, though I kinda liked the concept. However, I have no doubt that his latest release would be well received as it is his best work to date. Apart from calling the shots, he has also penned the script & it is evident that he has done his homework with regard to the prejudices that the Muslim community faces for some rotten apples in their midst. The movie doesn't grow on us in the first hour, but the moment the courtroom drama starts, you can rest assured to be completely engrossed. As for other technical aspects, the manner in which the court scenes were impressively picturised by Ewan Mulligan & the presence of Taapsee reminded me of "Pink". Rishi Kapoor has been lucky to get some meaty roles in the last couple of years & this one is no different as he has aced his part with elan. Giving him apt competition was Taapsee who in recent times have started to carve a niche for herself with some exceptional performances & this role will feature as one of the finest in her career. Similarly, Ashutosh Rana, Rajat Kapoor, Manoj Pahwa & Kumud Mishra have all excelled in their parts which has gone a long way in elevating the viewing experience. Verdict: It can definitely not be tagged as an entertainer but rather as a mirror for the society that seems to get narrow minded due to religious prejudices. It's a movie that needs to be watched as it is rooted in reality & even as a celluloid creation, you will love the last 30 minutes. In short, don't miss it!!! Rating: 4/5 Regards...Ben

Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 32018

Seems like the last weekend was reserved specifically for franchise movies. If Hollywood had "MI6" gracing the screens, then Bollywood had "Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3". Both the prequels of "SBG" had garnered substantial critical acclaim & Tigmanshu Dhulia would be hoping that he could maintain the trend in the latest installment as well. With the addition of Sanjay Dutt into the mix to essay the part of the gangster, Dhulia cant be blamed if he believed that it would translate into more footfalls in the theatre. So did his plan work out as expected??? Saheb/Aditya Pratap (Jimmy Shergill) was still in jail & was trying to buy his way out into the open world. On the other hand, his biwi/Madhavi Devi (Mahi Gill) had become MP & was doing everything within her power to keep him behind bars. But Aditya managed to get out of jail with the help of his aid Kanhaiya (Deepraj Rana) & his daughter, Deepal (Pamela Bhutoria), much to the chagrin of Madhavi. It was at this juncture that she came into acquaintance with Uday Pratap Singh (Sanjay Dutt), who also belonged to royal lineage though he had a strained relationship with his father & brother. With Aditya seeking to acquire power, Madhavi proposes a deal to Uday whereby he will kill Saheb in exchange for her help to acquire the land that he had set his eyes upon for his heritage hotel. So will Uday accept the deal especially since the biwi is known for double crossing??? Just as in the previous editions, the basic premise was pretty much the same with the Saheb & Biwi at loggerheads with each other. It is a concoction of revenge, infidelity, back stabbing and ambition to rise at any cost. But what had made the previous installments stand out was that the whole tale was cohesive & intriguing which is sadly not the case in the latest version. The script by Sanjay Chauhan along with Dhulia, was just not compelling enough & to make matters worse, the gangster portion didn't make any sense. Amalendu's visuals were decent enough while none of the other technical aspects deserved special mention. Both Jimmy Shergill & Mahi Gill has done a fine job in their respective roles while Sanjay Dutt, who was brought in with much fanfare seemed totally disinterested & didn't gel in the movie. As for the rest of the cast, Kabir Bedi hams, Deepak Tijori proves he is still alive, Nafisa Ali & Soha Ali Khan included for reasons only the director could answer, Chitrangada Singh wasted while Zakir Hussain does what was expected of him. Verdict: There is no doubt that this is the weakest movie among the three parts & the manner in which it has ended, seems to indicate that a fourth part might be in the cards. However, unless Dhulia regains his touch which he seems to have lost since "Bullet Raja"; he shouldn't even attempt the next installment. The ploy to release the movie after "Sanju" in order to reap the benefits of the good will generated due to the sanitized biopic has completely backfired as Sanjay's part was poorly etched & performed. In short, don't bother!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Mission: Impossible – Fallout2018

Whenever we talk about franchise movies, the first thing we think about are the actors who made those protagonists memorable. More of than not, such characters becomes the USP of the actor & he is known for that role irrespective of the plethora of other movies he must have acted in. We have been witness to numerous franchise movies such as Stallone's "Rocky & Rambo", Arnold's "Terminator", Harrison Ford's "Indiana Jones", Johnny Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean" to name a few. Another hugely popular franchise & one of my personal favourite apart from "Rocky" is Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible" series. This weekend we had the sixth edition of MI, "Mission: Impossible-Fallout" hitting the screens & as always, the trailer was just awesome. So can Cruise still pull off Ethan Hunt convincingly or is it the desperation of the star to remain relevant on the back of his past MI glory??? A couple of years has passed after the capture of Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), but his organisation "The Syndicate" was still very much functional & had transformed itself into a terrorist group known as "The Apostles". Their latest mission was to acquire three plutonium cores for a client named John Lark, who intended to blow it up in religious sites such as Rome, Jerusalem & Mecca. This was where Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) came into the picture as he was entrusted with the task of ensuring that the plutonium didnt go into the wrong hands. However, the Apostles were a couple of steps ahead of him & outsmarted him by forcing him to choose his friend's life over the plutonium procurement. As one would expect, Ethan & his team were back in their elements in quick time, but how high were the stakes if they had to save the world yet again??? The MI series began in 1996 & the first five movies were helmed by five different directors. However, this time around they decided to persist with Christopher McQuarrie who had done a decent job with the previous installment "Rogue Nation". Scripted by McQuarrie himself, the story is pretty much standard affair though unlike the previous editions there was a certain degree of continuity from the previous movie. As always, the highlight of the series are the breath taking action sequences & it is no different this time as well. The fist fight in the restroom, the rooftop chase in London, the bike chase in Paris, the helicopter stunt in supposed to be Kashmir (though it is New Zealand) etc., each of them were brilliantly choreographed by stunt coordinator Wade Eastwood. All of them were exquisitely captured by Rob Hardy & the the impact of the scenes were elevated by Lorne Balfe's apt choice of music. What do I say about Tom Cruise??? He is absolutely brilliant & the backbone as to why this series is relevant even after 22 years. His utmost dedication to his craft & insistence to perform those unbelievable stunts that we have witnessed over the years be it the one in Burj Khalifa, Tarzan swing in Shanghai or dangling outside Air A400M, by himself without the use of CGI is what makes this series all the more endearing & thrilling to us. As far for the rest of the cast, all of them have done their parts well be it Henry Cavill, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson etc. Verdict: Without doubt, one of the finest action movies to have ever released & definitely one of the best MI movies to date. What is all the more incredible is the fact that Cruise is 56 years old. Oh yes, you dont have to think twice, I didnt get his age wrong . His dedication to daredevilry & the ease with which he pulls off stunts would make anyone develop an inferiority complex, not to mention his iconic straight backed running (my personal favourite) is something you just cant afford to miss. In short, rush to a theatre near you!!! Rating: 4.25/5 Regards...Ben

Dhadak2018

It's been a rather busy week on the professional front that I wasnt able to pen my thoughts about "Dhadak" that I had watched last weekend. I was rather interested to check it out after all it was the launch of Sridevi's daughter, Janhvi Kapoor & Shahid's brother, Ishaan Khatter. The trailer was quite good & the songs were rather catchy. giving indications that it had the substance to earn a decent initial. But will it be able to break even??? The film unfolds in Rajasthan where we have Madhukar (Ishaan) & Parthavi (Janhvi) fall for each other, oblivious of the fact her family were against their union since he belonged to an inferior caste. Parthavi's father Ratan Singh (Ashutosh Rana) uses his influence to register a fake rape attempt case on Madhu & his friends. However, Parthavi manages to turn the tables & rescues Madhu from the clutches of the police. But will the lovers be able to ever live in peace??? Karan Johar had bought the rights for the Marathi blockbuster "Sairat" & entrusted Shashank Khaitan to remake it in Hindi. This was the latter's third movie after the "Dulhania" series & definitely a challenge to match upto Nagraj Manjule's efforts. Well it seemed Shashank had the dilemma as to whether he should attempt something truly original or he felt that the audience wouldn't be able to digest the harsh reality portrayed in the Marathi version. Anywaz Shashank was rather too mellow in his screenplay & execution , which kinda denied the movie the impact that it could have made if he was faithful to the original script. On the technical side, both Ajay-Atul & John Stewart have done a praise worthy job with the music & BGM while Vishnu Rao's visuals were fine. Both Ishaan & Janhvi have done a decent job in their debut outing. Ishaan oozes charm & innocence and was an apt choice for the role. It would be unfair to compare Janhvi to her illustrious mother, the incomparable Sridevi. But even then Janhvi has done no harm to her name & has given a reasonably decent performance. There is no doubt that they are far from the finished product, but for starters they deserve an applause. The rest of the cast were average & didnt have much to do. Verdict: Even if you didnt watch "Sairat", you will still feel that Shashank definitely missed the opportunity to make a memorable love story along the lines of "Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak". As per box office figures, it has managed to make a profit. In short, it's rather predictable; which means that the story as such might not interest you but the newbies has done a decent job. Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

Soorma2018

It's been an exciting month for sports lovers with many high profile tournaments happening across the globe such as the World Cup, Wimbledon, Champions Trophy etc. Even the film industry have sought inspiration from such athletes over the years & have made biopics on them such as "Mary Kom", "M.S Dhoni", "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag" etc. The latest to join this list is "Soorma" which is based on our ace drag flicker, Sandeep Singh who went through a career ending accident & rose from the ashes like a phoenix. With another biopic "Sanju" going great guns at the box office, it remains to be seen whether this will evoke similar reactions from the audience. Over the years, we have had some incredible hockey players & a significant number of them hailed from Punjab. Sandeep Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) was also from the same state & thrust into the game pretty young to follow in the footsteps of his brother Bikram (Angad Bedi). However, he didnt pursue it for long as he detested his coach Kartar Singh (Danish Hussain), who was an extremely tough task master. But he decided to take up his hockey stick many years later, in order to impress Harpreet (Tapsee Pannu), a fellow player; rather than love for the game. It so turned out that he gets moulded into a brilliant player under the watchful eyes of Coach Harry (Vijay Raaz) & attracts the attention of the Hockey Federation who inducts him into the national team without fail. But even before he could make a significant mark, his career was cut short by an accidental gun shot into his spine which left him hemiplegic. The rest of the movie tracks his journey from the bed to the pinnacle of the game. Biopics has been one of the most favoured genres in our industry in recent times & Shaad Ali, known for movies like "Saathiya", "Bunty Aur Babli", "Ok Jaanu" etc., decided to give it a try. The first half was fine as it basically tracked Sandeep's journey from childhood to the time he began to make a name for himself. It's the latter half which actually get us invested in the story & steadily builds to the climax. The highlight of the movie is the excellent star cast, each of whom was perfect for the role & gave a sincere performance. However, it does have its share of pitfalls as well & that's primarily coz of the lack of exciting moments on the hockey field, the rather ordinary manner in which the games were choreographed, team dynamics & Tapsee reduced to merely a muse rather than the talented player that she is portrayed as. The music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was praise worthy & in sync with the mood while Chirantan Das's visuals were fine. As mentioned earlier, each & every artist has done an impressive job. Diljit was perfect as the protagonist who exudes charm & conveys all range of emotions with utter ease. It was hard to believe that he isnt a hockey player as his body language, aggression etc all seemed natural. Angad Bedi had me stumped with his excellent act & hopefully, more film makers will give him meaty roles. The same amount of praise applies to the rest as well such as Tapsee, Vijay Raaz, Sathish Kaushik, Seema Kaushal etc. Verdict: Sandeep Singh was instrumental in India winning the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 & led the nation to the 2012 Olympics. However, his biopic is unlikely to make as much of an impact despite the excellent & sincere performances by the artists. It is nowhere near the league of "Chak De" even though the core story that it conveys is equally as intense. There is no doubt that "Sanju" made matters tough but if more thought had gone into the screenplay, it would have done much better business at the box-office. Anywaz, it's still worth a one time-watch!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Race 32018

The eagerly anticipated World Cup is finally here & we have already witnessed a couple of high quality matches. With Eid ul Fitr also celebrated leading to the weekend, it has been an entertaining weekend. To add to the festivities, we have the customary Salman Khan movie hitting the screens & this time it happens to be "Race 3" which promises to be an all out action entertainer. So will it claim the numero uno spot in the box office just like how Federer achieved the No.1 ranking at Stuttgart??? Shamsher Singh (Anil Kapoor) was one of the leading arms & narcotics dealer in the world and ran his empire in the Middle East. He was assisted in his endeavours by his nephew Sikandar (Salman Khan) whom he trusted more than his own twin children, Sanjana (Daisy Shah) & Suraj (Saqib Saleem). This naturally makes them harbour bad blood towards Sikander & plots his downfall. However, Sikander were always a step ahead of them & kept them in check with the help of his trusted lieutenant, Yash (Bobby Deol). At around this juncture, Shamsher gets wind of a hard disk that contained sexual adventures of top Indian politicians & decides to blackmail them in exchange for favours to establish his empire in the country. However, the twins found it as an opportunity to eliminate Sikander. But it was much easier said than done. Believe it or not, but it's been a decade since the "Race" franchise began with the director duo Abbas-Mustan having directed the first two installments. However, unlike the previous ventures; the latest movie has no connection with the others except for the title. It is helmed by Remo D'Souza, who in my opinion is an excellent choreographer but a mediocre director. For the audience who have followed the "Race" series, they will be aware that the basic template will be a potpourri of style, glamour, double crossing & pulsating action sequences & that pattern is religiously maintained (or rather taken up a couple of notches) by Shiraz Ahmed. No one expects logic in such movies but even then it doesnt offer anything that captivates us. The action sequences choreographed by Tom Struthers (of "Inception", "Dark Knight" & "Dunkirk" fame, was top notch while Ayanika Bose deserves praise for the visuals but Salim Sulaiman's music was average. It's an all out Salman movie & he has given the masses what they needed with a power packed action flick. Anil Kapoor is the only one who has survived from the beginning & has given an earnest performance. Bobby Deol makes a comeback from wilderness with a toned physique but seems like he forgot to flex his facial muscles. As for the rest, none of the performances deserves mention but kudos to Jacqueline & Daisy for the effort they invested in combat scenes. Verdict: Despite being panned by the critics, the movie galloped to the 100C club in just 3 days. With "Sanju", still a fortnight away, it should race itself to some mind boggling numbers. If you are in for some cool action sequences, then you wont be disappointed but dont expect an iota of logic. In short, it offers nothing new apart from exotic locations, fancy cars & Salman!!! Rating: 2/5 Regards...Ben

Parmanu: The Story of Pokhran2018

Over the 70 odd years of Indian Independence, our nation have achieved numerous feats such as Green Revolution, White Revolution, ISRO's exploits etc. One such notable achievement was India's nuclear power capabilities which was accomplished on the back of the nuclear tests conducted in Pokhran in 1998. Apart from the fact it was a crowning moment for India, it is also one of the biggest failures of the CIA which had no clue about it despite the numerous satellites spying in the region. Though the events are well documented in print, Abhishek Sharma decided to re-create it on celluloid. So did he stick to the actual details or is it just merely fiction with an over dosage of patriotism??? It's 1995 & China has just conducted 43 nuclear tests which had sent our politicians into a frenzy due to the increasing might of its neighbours. Among the numerous nonsensical retaliation suggestions that are floated at the PM's Office, Ashwat Raina (John Abraham), a IAS Officer proposes the idea that India also needs to conduct nuclear tests. His suggestion is met with ridicule & though the PM's secretary takes up the idea, Ashwat is sidelined & it reflects in the eventual planning as the nueclear test turned out to be a failure. As one would expect, Ashwat is made the scapegoat which breaks his confidence. However, three years later he gets a shot at redemption when Himanshu Malik, the new Principal Secretary to the PM puts him in charge of the nuclear mission. How Ashwat & his team accomplishes the task under the nose of the US spy satellites forms the crux of the movie. Abhishek Sharma made quite a few look up & take notice of him with his debut venture "Tere Bin Laden" which released close to a decade back. However, "Parmanu" will be his first major movie in terms of budget & canvas on offer. Based on the Pokhran nuclear tests, masterminded by APJ & Co.; Abhishek in the company of Saiwyn Quadras & Sanyukta Chawla Sheikh (of "Neerja" & "Mary Kom" fame) has created a story that is more fictional than the actual truth. The whole mission seemed rather too simplistic though the tension built up towards the climax was credible. None of the technical aspects deserves a special mention as it average at best. John Abraham has given a sincere effort & fitted the role of the protagonist. Boman Irani was impressive in his brief role while the rest of the cast were fine as well though I felt Diana Penty wasnt quite the right choice for her role. Verdict: With not much competition in the first week, "Parmanu" was able to break even without breaking much sweat. However, with "Veere Di Wedding" having hit the screens this weekend; it remains to be seen how much more it will be able to collect. There is no doubt that the movie is decently crafted, but I felt it could have been more impactful. In short, you can give it a try!!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben

Hichki2018

In the past decade or so, a new genre that Bollywood directors seems to be interested in are movies where the protagonists are either physically challenged or suffering from genetic and neurological disorders. Hence we had movies on dyslexia "Taare Zameen Par", Asperger's syndrome "My Name is Khan", progeria "Paa" etc., to name a few. The latest to be added to that list is Rani Mukerji's "Hichki" where she is suffering from Tourette's syndrome. So will the movie have am engaging story that will keep us hooked??? Naina Mathur (Rani Mukerji) is a well qualified charming young lady who is passionate about becoming a teacher. However, all her efforts to get a job in her preferred profession failed as she suffered from Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder which made her interviewers skeptical of her ability to teach. After numerous failed attempts, she finally landed a job at the esteemed St. Notkers which also happened to be her alma mater. But she had a daunting task in front of her as she had to tame of class of unruly students. Will she rise upto the challenge or will she forced to opt for a different profession just like her father said??? Based on the book "Front of the Class" by Brad Cohen & Lisa Wysocky, "Hichki" is the second movie of Siddharth Malhotra after "We are Family" in 2010. There is no doubt that it is endearing & keeps us engaged despite the predictability. It does reminds us of flicks like "Dead Poets Society" among others & the lack of novelty in the events that unfold might be a deterrent at times. None of the technical aspects deserves special mention though Hitesh Sonik's music was fine. The heart & soul of the movie is undoubtedly Rani Mukerji, who is back on the silver screen after a hiatus with her last performance being "Mardaani" in 2014. She has done a praise worthy job & equally impressive (or at time even better than Rani) were the bunch of super talented kids. The rest of the cast such as Vikram Gokhale, Supriya Pilgaonkar, Hussain Dalal have also done their parts aptly. Verdict: The film will surely have word of mouth in its favour & that is reflected in the box office collections as well. As per latest reports, it has accumulated a total of 22.5 C until yday making it a viable project for Yash Raj films due to the low investment. In short, dont hichak to watch Rani & her students!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Raid2018

It's been a while since I have written a review though I did watch a couple of mediocre movies which didnt quite inspire me to put my thoughts onto the blog. With the exam season in full swing, there has hardly been any worthwhile releases in the past one month. So apart from my work it were events like the ATP Masters, All England Championship & Ind-Aus tour of South Africa that kept me occupied. However, there was one significant release this weekend which had aroused my curiosity and it happened to be Ajay Devgn's "Raid". It was said to be based on a high profile tax raid that occurred in the 1980s & the trailer more than adequately excited the audience. So will it be the elusive hit the box office had been waiting for since "Padman"??? The film unfolds in 1981 in Lucknow where Amay Patnaik (Ajay Devgn), the income tax deputy commissioner had recently taken charge. We get a sense of his honesty & uprightness within the first couple of scenes itself which has led him to be transferred 49 times in seven years. No sooner had he assumed responsibility, he is tipped off by an anonymous source about the obscene amount of ill-gotten wealth of the crooked & powerful politician, Rameshwar Singh aka Tauji (Saurabh Shukla). After being satisfactorily convinced about the validity of the accusations, Amay obtained the legal documents to conduct raid on Tauji's palatial residence. But it was easier said than done. Raj Kumar Gupta is no novice to the art of direction as is evidenced by his previous ventures such as "Aamir", "No One Killed Jessica" & "Ghanchhakar". Based on true incidents, "Raid" is a riveting drama that has been scripted by Ritesh Shah who had also penned impressive movies like "Citylights" & "Pink". The screenplay & dialogues are pretty much top notch for large parts, though the former finds itself in a dicey situation in the latter half. The manner in which the procedures of the raid are spelt out by the protagonist was quite novel in celluloid & the decision to make Devgn essay a realistic character rather than take on a zillion guys alone in itself was refreshing to the senses. However, the romantic songs by Amit Trivedi that has been squeezed in acted as speed breakers. As for other aspects, Trivedi's BGM was excellent, Alphonse Roy's visuals were fine while Bodhaditya Banerjee's editing in the second half could have been tighter. It's been a while since we got an opportunity to watch Ajay in a realistic role that utilized his acting skills. He was fantastic as the incorruptible officer who does everything by the book & giving him excellent company was the exceptional Saurabh Shukla. Ever since I first noticed him in "Satya", I have been an admirer of his talent though very few directors have made adequate of it & Raj Kumar can be proud of that. There were a couple of others who gave praise worthy support such as Pushpa Joshi (as Amma, who was an absolute scream) & Amit Sial (as Lallan) while the others such as Ileana D'Cruz have done their part aptly. Verdict: Slowly and steadily, the audience have warmed upto the movie as it's on the brink of 50C in five days. Apart from an engaging script, it was also well made aided by the performance of two brilliant actors such as Ajay & Shukla. There is no doubt that the second half was kind of a letdown but still it's worth a watch. So do check it out!!! Rating: 3.25/5 Regards...Ben

Padman2018

Ever since GST was rolled out on Doctor's day last year, it has received a lot of flak over the taxes imposed on various products. One such item of basic necessity happened to be the sanitary pads that was imposed a tax of 12% (marginally lower than the earlier 13.68%). In a country where only 12% of the women use pads, there needs to be more impetus on the part of every Govt in power to encourage menstrual hygiene & one such act will be to reconsider the tax on it. At the turn of the new millennium, Arunachalam Muruganantham, the social activist from Tamil Nadu decided to come up with an alternative for the costly sanitary pads. Incidentally, his life became the inspiration for R Balki's latest movie "Padman". Lakshmikant Chauhan (Akshay Kumar) is a mechanic by profession who had recently married to Gayathri (Radhika Apte). Despite having discontinued his education, he was a master innovator & used it to good effect with interesting creations of his own. When Lakshmi realises that his wife puts herself to risk with unhygienic menstrual practices, he decides to solve the problem by making a low cost sanitary pad. However, it was much easier than done as his pad didnt have the deserved quality. In time, his obsession to perfect his creation virtually ostracizes him from his family and village. But he stuck on to his mission with unwavering determination & how he eventually manages to make people who ridiculed him sing praises about him forms the crux of the movie. Based on "The Sanitary Man of Sacred Land" by Twinkle Khanna, it is inspired as mentioned earlier from Arunachalam's life. R Balki's credentials as a director is well established with movies like "Cheeni Kum", "Paa" etc to his credit. There is no doubt that making a movie on a social issue is not an easy task for the simple reason that it could turn out to be rather preachy. However, Balki & Swanand Kirkire has made sure that they kept the mood light wherever necessary with interesting sequences peppered throughout. They keep us engaged with the events that unfold & it was well picturised by P C Sreeram. Even Chandan Arora's BGM & music tracks were in sync with the mood of the movie & deserves praise. The success of any movie lies in the hands of the audience & there is precious little that the artists can do except make sure that they always try to bring some novelty in their roles. This is exactly what Akki has been doing since the past couple of years with some wise & intelligent choice of movies. In his latest outing, he is brilliant as the protagonist as it keeps us invested in it. He has been given excellent support by Radhika Apte, who continues to impress in whatever role she appears. Even Sonam Kapoor who kinda overacts in most instances was fantastic. Verdict: This was supposed to be on a collision course with "Padmaavat", but Akshay's magnanimity meant that it's release was postponed by a fortnight. Anywaz the decision has done both the movies a lot of good as evidenced by the box office numbers. After promotion of "Swach Bharat Abhiyaan" through "Toilet:Ek Prem Katha", Akki has given a subtle promotion to "Make in India" through this. Kudos to both Balki & Akki for tackling a social issue both engagingly & realistically. In short, it deserves to be watched!!! Rating: 3.75/5 Regards...Ben

Padmaavat2018

Last couple of months had seen violence unleashed in various parts of the country over the release of "Padmaavat". So much so, it had to be postponed by a month & required the involvement of the Supreme Court to hit the screens. Even then there has been no dearth of atrocities with one incident being the stones pelted on a school bus in Gurugram. Incidentally, ever since the project was announced, it had run into rough weather with the Karni Sena who assumed (by their own figment of imagination) that Sanjay Leela's depiction of Rani Padmini wasnt accorded the honour it deserved. So were their arguments valid ??? The film unfolds in the 13th century where Jalaluddhin Khilji (Raza Murad) puts an end to the Mamluk dynasty& establishes himself as the first ruler of the Khilji dynasty. He was assisted in his endeavours by his nephew and son-in-law. Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh). After Alauddin thwarts the Mongol invasion on the Delhi Sultanate & conducts an unsanctioned raid on Devagiri, his uncle rewards him with a slave Malik Kafur (Jim Sarbh). But Alauddin had his eyes on a bigger prize & kills his uncle to usurp the throne. In another part of the land, Maharawal Ratan Singh (Shahid Kapoor) married the Singala princess Padmavati (Deepika Padukone) & brought her to Mewar. The news of her beauty & intelligence, travelled far & wide and it also reached the ears of Alauddin. As he always craved for unique creations, he decided to acquire Rani Padmini by any means possible. But the Rajput valour & honour was something he had not fathomed. Based on the epic poem "Padmavat" written in the 16th century by the Sufi poet Malik Muhammad Jayasi, the story is a concoction of fact & fiction. Even the historical authenticity of the events mentioned in the poem itself cant be verified as Jayasi himself had mentioned that he had made up the story and related it.Whatever might be the case, Sanjay Leela Bhansali has made an excellent movie in terms of richness, elegance & sheer scale. But the plot as such is rather thin & the pace is sluggish at times. However, it still keeps us engrossed courtesy of Sanjay's mastery over his craft & the build up as well as execution of jauhar in the climax deserves special praise. On the technical side, it is top notch in pretty much all the departments be it the visuals by Sudeep Chatterjee, costumes by Harpreet, Maxima, Chandrakant & Ajay or the art direction by Subrata Chakraborthy & Amit Ray. The BGM by Sanchit Balhara was in sync with the mood of the movie while the music tracks by Sanjay Leela were also decent. When it comes to performance, Ranveer Singh was brilliant as the flamboyant nasty no holds barred Khilji. Deepika Padukone has done an impressive job as well along with Shahid Kapoor. As for the rest, each & everyone of them have done justice to their roles. Verdict: Without a shadow of doubt, the film is a brilliant tribute to the valour & principles of the Rajput clan. I seriously fail to understand why Karni Sena is creating all this ruckus as the Rajputs & Rani Padmini are shown in the best way possible. Despite the restrictions, the film has fared decently at the box office & should continue to attract attention at the box office. In short, surely check it out!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Tiger Zinda Hai2017

On the auspicious occasion of Xmas, I would like to wish each & everyone a peaceful & joyful festive season. Since there was hardly any movie that caught my eye in the past month, my blog was off the radar until this weekend. Being Xmas, a plethora of movies have released in all languages hoping to cash in on the extended weekend. The biggest release is undoubtedly from Khan, well it's not Aamir (who invariably releases during this time) but rather Salman with "Tiger Zinda Hai". It is the sequel to "Ek Tha Tiger" & Salman will be hoping that it will make amends for the abysmal "Tubelight". Hmm...will the box-office go gaga??? ISC was creating havoc in the Middle East under the leadership of Abu Usman (Sajjad Delfrooz) & all the nations were at a loss as to how to contain this terrorist organisation. ISC's latest act of terrorism was to take 25 nurses (mostly Indian & Pakistani) as hostages & convert the Iqrit hospital in Iraq into their terrorist base. With negotiation virtually impossible with Abu, the US army decides to launch a drone attack on the hospital which would effectively decimate every living being in the vicinity. However, they agreed to hold off the attack for a week as the Indian Government through their RAW Chief Shenoy (Girish Karnad) had requested time to rescue the nurses. Since a mission of this magnitude had to be handled by the best, Shenoy gets in touch with his former agent Tiger (Salman Khan) who had vanished from the scene eight years back. Though Shenoy convinces Tiger to come out of retirement, will the latter be as ruthless as before especially with a family now ??? Unlike the prequel, this is helmed by Ali Abbas Zafar who was last seen with "Sultan" which I personally consider as one of Salman's finest performance. It is inspired from the actual hostage situation that had unfolded in 2014, which had earlier led to the brilliant "Take Off". Being a Salman movie, you cant lament the fact that it belies logic after all "over the top" stuff is what he is known for. To be fair to Abbas, he has given what the audience expects with an all out action thriller. Though a shade too long, it remains true to being an action thriller with no unnecessary romantic scenes that impeded the pace in the prequel. The action sequences & Marcin's visuals were awesome while Vishal Shekhar's music was average. Tiger was a role that was tailor made for Salman with loads of action & ripping muscles. He has done utmost justice to the role & was given excellent support by Katrina who carried out her action sequences brilliantly as well. Sajjad was an apt choice as the antagonist which he performed impressively. There was a host of supporting artists as well such as Paresh Rawal, Kumud Mishra, Girish Karnad etc, all of whom have done their parts aptly. Verdict: Without a shadow of doubt, the audience will lap it up with glee making it yet another humongous blockbuster for Salman. It is a sure shot 250C at the box-office with the question being, how much will it eventually make. It's an ideal choice for a bindaas time pass & if you know what to expect from a Salman movie, you can rest assured that you will be thoroughly entertained. So check it out for some high voltage action!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Justice League2017

Finally the eagerly awaited "Justice League", the fifth installment in the DC Extended Universe is here. Just like millions of fans, I have been waiting to watch this ever since it was announced a couple of years back. However, I would have to admit that I was a touch concerned with the mixed reviews that I had come across. Anywaz I was really impressed with the trailer & that made me believe that Snyder will make amends for "Batman vs Superman", which was horribly massacred on the editing board. So did the congregation of superheroes work for me??? Time have passed since the death of Superman but the world still mourned for their beacon of hope. Even Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) didnt get over his guilt & kept a constant vigil to ensure that the planet was safe. He gets wind of an alien invasion when he happened to combat with a parademon & comes across mysterious pictorial depiction of three boxes in several places as well as in Lex Luthor's journal. He reaches out to Diana Prince/Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) for help & comes to learn that those were "Mother Boxes" of power. Incidentally Steppenwolf & his army of parademons were in pursuit of them which were under the guardianship of Amazoneans, Atlanteans & humans. In order to thwart Steppenwolf's evil designs, Batman & Wonder Woman decides to form a league & sets out to recruit metahumans. They bring in Arthur Curry/Aquaman (Jason Momoa), Barry Allen/Flash (Ezra Miller) & Victor Stone/Cyborg (Ray Fisher) into their team. But will they be able to stop Steppenwolf, who already had two boxes in his possession by the time they joined forces??? As is evident for most of the people by now, the project is helmed by Zack Snyder who justifiably received a lot of flak for the "Batman vs Superman" debacle. Apart from calling the shots, he has also penned the script along with Academy Award winner Chris Terrio (for "Argo"). The plot as such lacks impact & way too many things are stuffed here which made it incohesive. Just as in the prequel, the mediocre editing is to blame for that as I presume the director's cut will be much better. However, I felt the screenplay by Chris & Joss Whedon managed to improve the proceedings with some humorous sequences & team bonding. Since Snyder had to leave abruptly towards the end of production due to a personal tragedy, Joss was also in charge of the re-shoots (surprising considering he directed "Avengers"). Another major flaw was the choice of villain, which was neither intimidating nor threatening enough. In an movie like this, the overload of CGI is understandable but the quality wasnt quite upto the standard that we would have expected. As for the music by Danny Elfman, it left a lot to be desired. With regard to performances, Gal Gadot was awesome as ever (I might be biased) while Ezra Miller provides the light moments with his hilarious one liners. Jason Momoa rocked as the tattooed hunk with an attitude, Ray Fisher actually makes us empathize with his character while Ben Affleck was better. Henry Cavill was fine while Amy Adams & Diane Lane were completely wasted. Verdict: Despite the shortcomings, I personally enjoyed the movie & that is primarily due to the screenplay which brings a light mood to the proceedings when the team bonds. As of now, it has grossed close to $282M which is a decent figure though lower than BvS. However, if you ask me; in terms of entertainment, I would place it above BvS & lower than "Wonder Woman". In short, it wont hurt to give it a try!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Tumhari Sulu2017

The much awaited weekend is finally here as "Justice League" have hit the screens to mixed reviews. Well I intend to watch it on Sunday & hopefully it will satiate my expectations. Anywaz another movie that had grabbed my attention was Vidya Balan's "Tumhari Sulu". Since she plays the protagonist, I didnt to have think twice as to whether I wanted to watch it or not. The trailer promised it to be a bindaas flick with oodles of laughter. So does it deliver what it promised??? Sulochana aka Sulu (Vidya Balan) is a middle class housewife whose hallmark was her exuberance & confidence to take up any challenge. This was very much evident from the hoards of prizes that she had won from random competitions that she participated in. The latest prize that she had won was a pressure cooker from a radio station & as she went there to collect it, she happened to come across an ad calling for candidates who were interested to become a RJ. Despite having no prior experience, being the optimistic person that she is; she decides to give it a try. As always, her husband Ashok (Manav Kaul) was her pillar of support & urged her to pursue her ambitions. Her charismatic & "happy-go-lucky" nature lands her the job though it was a late night slot that she had to fill in. How she manages her job & household chores forms the crux of the movie. Scripted & directed by ad-man Suresh Triveni, the film gives us a slice of reality with the incidents that happens in the life of a middle class household. The best part was undoubtedly the husband-wife relationship, as both of them look out for each other & keeps their romance alive. It's a feel good movie that doesnt delve too much into the problems that arise in Sulu's life after she takes up the job. The tensions that her husband faces in his job & the problems that her son finds himself in at school, all of which affects the dynamics in their life. But Suresh has opted to wade over it & keeps the mood light throughout the whole 140 minutes. There are quite a few tracks in the movie that has been handled by many individuals, but my favourite was "Ban ja Rani" by Guru Randhawa. As for other technical aspects, all of them were aptly executed. Vidya is the heart & soul of the movie, & she has nailed her performance yet again. The way she expresses array of emotions with utmost ease makes her a delight to watch. Equally impressive was the performance of each & every artist irrespective of how brief their role was, as they have done utmost justice to their roles. Manav Kaul pleasantly surprised me with his act as I never thought he would be able to pull it off so effectively. Neha Dhupia continues to grab eyeballs whenever she is given a substantial role & hopefully more directors will cast her. Verdict: It might not a glitzy type of movie or one with mass heroes, but it is surely one that will entertain the audience. There is no doubt that it will have positive word of mouth in its favour & should be able to make decent collection at the box-office. In short, do check it out for Vidya & her exuberance!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Qarib Qarib Singlle2017

Over the years we have had numerous Malayalam movies being remade in Hindi which has fared satisfactorily at the box-office. However, not many technicians from the Malayalam industry has been able to make a mark in Bollywood except for a few like Priyadarshan, Sabu Cyril etc. It's even tougher for an artist to break into Bollywood, which is the reason why very few appear in more than a single movie. In recent times, Padmapriya appeared in "Chef" & this week we have Parvathy in Tanuja Chandra's "Qarib Qarib Singlle" along with the dependable Irrfan Khan. To be frank, they did seem like an odd couple at first glance & it remains to be seen whether their combination will endear to the audience??? Jaya (Parvathy) is a widow who has been single for quite a while that her friends tells her that she must have turned virgin. She was rather unsure as to whether she wanted to be in a relationship again but decided to give it a try courtesy through an online dating site. This led to her meeting up with Yogi (Irrfan Khan), a rather loud, instinctive, no holds barred type of character who considered himself a worthy Urdu poet. In simple words, their personalities were pretty much like chalk & cheese. As expected, Jaya wasnt keen to take it beyond their first meeting but Yogi's charm & her urge to meet his exes whom he claimed still loved him, makes her embark on a journey with him. Little did they realise that it was a journey towards their self discovery. Tanuja Chandra is a well known director who has been off the radar for quite a while. However, mention of movies like "Dushman" & "Sangharsh" gives us ample proof about her capabilities. Her latest venture is about two charmingly different mature individuals finding each other in the premise of a road trip. Over the course of their trip from Hardwar to Jaipur & finally to Gangtok, we are hooked onto the manner in which their equation with each other changes. Kudos for that goes to the script by Tanuja's mother. Kamna who has movies like "Chandni" ,"1942-A Love Story" etc to her credit. Equally impressive was the screenplay & dialogues by Ghazal Dhaliwal. With regard to other technical aspects, all of them were fine especially the music by Rochak Kohli & Vishal Mishra which was soothing to the ears & didnt impede the flow of the movie. As usual, Irrfan was brilliant as the loud Yogi coz in the hands of a lesser artist; it would have come across as rather artificial & superficial. This makes it really difficult for his co-star to match upto him, but Parvathy (whose acting credentials in Malayalam & Tamil speaks volumes about her) matched him step to step in pretty much all the sequences. As for the rest, they have done their parts aptly in their brief screen space they were allotted. Verdict: It is undoubtedly one of the finest rom-coms in recent times as the characters endears to the audience. An impressive script & odd looking couple enacted by brilliant performers, makes it a winner for ones who loves normal relatable movies. It is not a money spinning mass flick but you can rest assured you will be entertained. In short, do check it out!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Thor: Ragnarok2017

Just a fortnight more before the much awaited "Justice League" hits the screens, but before DC could make their move; Marvel has come out with the sequel of the "Thor" series. This is the 17th movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe & as per the weekend collection reports, it has taken the box-office by storm. To be frank, I have been so engrossed in the build up towards "Justice League", that the Marvel trailer didnt quite blow my socks off. However, when I checked it out; I have to admit it was indeed the most hilarious Marvel movie to date. A couple of years have passed since the battle of Sokovia & Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was imprisoned by the fire demon, Surtur in Asgard. The God of Thunder manages to escape from the clutches of Surtur, who claimed that Asgard will be destroyed in the prophesied Ragnarok when his crown was put into the Eternal Fire. Thor averts the impending doom (or so he believed) & goes in search of his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins) along with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Based on what Surtur had said & with the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), they locate their father on Earth. It is then Odin reveals to his sons, that he is dying which in turn will lead to the rise of his daughter Hela (Cate Blanchett). She had fought shoulder to shoulder with him on various conquests but her evil designs made him imprison her. As he predicted, his demise releases Hela from prison & she lands in Asgard to claim the throne. Both Thor & Loki are forced to flee from there as their efforts to stop her proved futile & they end up on the planet Sakaar where the former gets imprisoned by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). How Thor escapes from there & forms a team along the lines of Avengers, to rescue Asgard forms the crux of the story. As in the case of the prequels, the latest edition of "Thor" is directed by yet another individual, who happens to be Taika Waititi. The Kiwi is known for his horror comedy "What we do in the Shadows" (which I havent watched) & has brought that humorous streak to this venture. It turned out to be the USP of the movie as the screenplay by Eric Pearson was hilarious from the start to the end. The general mood of the movie was along the lines of "Deadpool" & it would be fair to say that it would totally entertain the audience. In terms of the plot, it's pretty engaging though the highlight definitely is the interactions between the characters such as Thor, Hulk etc. All the technical aspects were top notch & each and every individual in charge deserves praise. Chris Hemsworth was awesome as he embraced the humour element with ease & gives a smashing performance. His partner in crime, Mark Ruffalo aced his part as Taika utilised him effectively by giving us ample exposure to both Banner & Hulk. Tom Hiddleston was rather underused, though in the opportunity provided he has done justice. Cate Blanchett was a natural for the role while Jeff Goldblum rocked as the Grandmaster. Among others, Tessa Thompson was fine while Taika's portrayal of Korg was a scream. Verdict: There are no two words about it, except that it is an absolute entertainer. The plot as such might not seem too heavy. but when you have a screenplay as engaging; there isnt much to complain. In short, dont miss it!!! Rating: 4.25/5 Regards...Ben

Ittefaq2017

November is here & this month boasts of some impressive movies lined up that I have been eagerly looking forward to for quite a while. Among them is "Ittefaq" which has hit the screens this weekend & has got Akshaye Khanna in the lead along with Siddharth Malhotra & Sonakshi Sinha. Interestingly, it is produced by SRK & Karan Johar among others; & from the looks of it, it seems like a stylized murder mystery. So will it do justice to the genre that it proclaims & give our money's worth??? The story unfolds on a rainy Mumbai night with the police hot on the heels of Vikram Sethi (Siddharth Malhotra), acclaimed writer based in Britain; for the suspected murder of his wife. He had flown down to Mumbai along with his wife for the launch of his second book, but before that event could materialize, his wife gets murdered in the hotel. Naturally Vikram was the prime suspect & that argument bore weight when he evade the polices. He eventually meets with an accident & seeks shelter in an upscale apartment which belonged to the lawyer, Shekhar & his wife, Maya (Sonakshi Sinha). Soon enough, the police tracks him down & discover Shekhar being murdered in the residence. The case was entrusted upon Inspector Dev Verma (Akshaye Khanna) & he had to solve both the murders in the span of three days. Even though, the initial circumstantial evidence painted Vikram to be the culprit; it wasnt exactly an open & shut case especially since both Vikram & Maya narrated different versions as to what transpired in the apartment. So were both the murders mere coincidence or was it connected??? The project has been helmed by debutant Abhay Chopra, who as some of you guys might have suspected belongs to the famed Chopra lineage. So it's quite natural for him to be influenced by his accomplished relatives which might be the reason why he had decided to remake Yash Chopra's (uncle) "Ittefaq" (1969). The basic premise is the same except for a couple of changes that Abhay has incorporated in the screenplay. Even though it has a running time of just 107 minutes, the early part is rather sluggish as the script fails to impart the urgency. However, the latter half picks up the pace & culminates in a predictable yet thrilling climax. Michal Luka's frames were exquisite while Nithin Baid's editing could have been crisper. Akshaye Khanna was fantastic as the cop which he underplays it convincingly both in his body language & dialogue delivery. The same cant be said about the other two leads namely Siddharth & Sonakhi. The former looked rather unsure early on & lacked conviction, but from the second half onwards he was bang on in conveying his emotions. However, Sonakshi's role didnt quite have any variations which meant it was a rather one dimensional performance that wont make the audience connect. Verdict: The genre & lack of huge stars, invariably means it will be a slow mover at the box office. Whatever it manages to garner will be solely based on whether the audience were hooked onto the murder mystery. Frankly speaking, it's a movie that deserves praise for the effort it has gone into it as it will surely interest the audience for large parts. In short, give it a try!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Secret Superstar2017

Whenever we talk about Aamir Khan movies, we invariably associate it to be a creation that breeds quality. This is exactly the reason why his movies which appears once in a couple of years are received with much fanfare & expectations across the globe. His last release was "Dangal" which smashed all Bollywood box office collection records. However, his latest release "Secret Superstar" which is bank rolled by his production house has him in a supporting role. The trailer & the music has been impressive and with Aamir involved in the project the expectations are nigh high. Insia Malik (Zaira Wasim) is a 10th grade student with a passion for music who resided in Vadodara with her family. She dreamt of becoming a singer & with the talent that she possessed it wasnt a dream that was impossible to achieve. With a loving mother, Najma (Meher Vij) who constantly encouraged her & a doting younger brother, it felt like she had the freedom to pursue her dreams. But it was easier said than done, especially with an abusive father who lost his temper at the smallest of reasons & inflicted physical torture on his wife. Since her father detested her musical leanings, she decides to upload her music videos on Youtube under the name "Secret Superstar" as she was clad in a burqa so that her identity remained unknown. In due time, her videos became viral & she received offers from the music industry to become a playback singer. But will she have the courage to reveal her identity lest her father knows about it??? This is the directorial debut of Advait Chandan after having served assistant for projects like "Dhobi Ghat" etc. He had taken on the responsibility of penning the script as well which focused on the bond between mother & daughter against the backdrop of dreams & domestic abuse. Despite the presence of a huge star like Aamir Khan, the director made sure that the focus is on Zaira & how along with Meher they tide over the challenges in their lives. Almost all the tracks by Amit Trivedi was in sync with the proceedings & didnt seem like a sore thumb at any point, with "Nachdi Phira" rendered by Meghna Mishra being my personal favourite. Equally praise worthy were the lyrics by Kausar Munir while Anil Mehta's visuals were fine as well. Both Meher Vij & Zaira Wasim were equally brilliant & it would be hard to choose between the two. They have done utmost justice to their roles as their performance endears to our heart. They were adequately supported by Raj Arjun as Insia's father while Tirth Sharma (as Chintan) & Kabir Sajid (as Guddu) were excellent. Last but not the least, what do I say about Aamir Khan??? This guy is an absolute legend & brings his A-game whatever might be the role that he takes up. He was fantastic as Shakti Kumar, the arrogant lecherous conceited yet harmless music director with a heart of gold. Verdict: This is undoubtedly one of the finest movies that had been picturised on the bond shared between a mother & daughter. It might not take the box-office by storm as it is not a flashy entertainer. The protagonist's path towards stardom might seem a tad too easy but you can rest assured that the screenplay will moisten your eyes & also bring a smile to your lips. In short dont miss it!!! Rating: 3.75/5 Regards...Ben

Newton2017

Diwali, the festival of lights is here & the film industry will be hoping to make hay when the sun shines with the release of big banner movies across the length & breadth of the country. Hence there werent any significant releases last weekend & the only programmes on Tv that caught my fancy was the Shanghai Masters & the Celebrity Classico. It was then that I recollected an article about a fortnight back which mentioned "Newton" as India's entry for the Oscars. Even though it's been a while since it released, I thought to write about it as I am sure many of my friends wouldn't have watched it. Newton aka Nutan Kumar (Rajkummar Rao) is a green horned government clerk who wore his honesty as a badge of honour. He was assigned the position of presiding officer entrusted with the task of conducting elections in one of the polling station located in the jungle of Chattisgarh. As it was in the Naxal hotbed region, it was always going to be a uphill task that Newton soon realised much to his dismay. Neither did the natives had any clue about the candidates or the election procedure nor were they keen to vote as they feared backlash from the Naxalites. Even the security force led by Aatma Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) didnt seem so enthusiastic with the idea of election though he made arrangements for Newton & his team. In such adverse circumstances, was it even possible to conduct a fair & free election??? Directed by Amit Masurkar, "Newton" is a political satire that has been making headlines in the last couple of months bagging awards at Berlinale 2017 & Hong Kong International Film Festival. It is his second venture after Sulemani Keeda which by the way I havent watched. Apart from direction, he had also penned the script while Mayank Tewari had assisted him in the screenplay. It was liberally sprinkled with humour but not at the cost of trivializing or mocking the realities . The main thread is the question whether the democratic process of election that we are all proud of is actually as fair as we believe it be. It throws light on the plight on tribals & downtrodden who dont see any change in their lives irrespective of whoever comes to power as they are virtually shoved around by the Naxalites & the security forces. Kudos to Masurkar for the brilliant casting which has enhanced the overall impact. We never associate music which such type of movies but both the tracks by Rachita Arora were soulful with the lyrics by Irshad Kamil & Varun Grover deserving praise. Even though it runs for just 106 minutes, some portions does lag quite a bit that Shweta Mathew ought to have taken care of. As far as performances are concerned, Rajkummar Rao continues to blow us away with his acting skills. Whatever might be the role, this dude just brings his A game to the table each & every time. Equally praise worthy were the performances by Pankaj Tripathi (who is on a roll this year), Anjali Patil, Raghubir Yadav & Sanjay Mishra. Verdict: Being a low budget movie, it has already reaped profits at the box office. But it deserves to been seen by even more people as it is an eye opener to the election process in conflict regions. It might be a tad slow for quite a few especially in the latter half but you can rest assured that it is definitely worth the time spent. In short, dont miss it!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Chef2017

Food has an undeniable part in Indian culture as it occupies centre stage whatever might be the occasion be it everyday life, weddings or festivals. Being a foodie, I have always loved to sample various cuisines & thanks to Mom, I would consider my culinary skills to be quite good. This is the very reason why I love reality shows like "Masterchef Australia" & look upto Chefs like Heston Blumenthal, Marco Pierre White, Jamie Oliver to name a few. So when Saif's "Chef" was released this weekend, I was excited to check it out despite being a remake. Hmm....will it be able to whet our appetite??? Roshan Kalra (Saif Ali Khan) is a three Michelin star chef who worked at an upscale restaurant in New York. But the spark that had elevated him to this position had diminished & it started to show in his food as well. When one of the customers did question the quality of his food, he loses his cool & ended up losing his job. On the advice of his friend, he returns to India to visit his son Arman (Svar Kamble) & ex-wife Radha (Padmapriya) in Cochin. It is at this time that the idea of a food truck is mooted by Radha's friend Biju (Milind Soman) which Roshan doesnt buy into initially. However, it seemed like an ideal opportunity to re-discover his passion for food & spent quality with his son. As mentioned earlier, this is the official remake of Jon Fraveau's "Chef" & Raja Krishna Menon had taken on the task. He is best known for "Airlift" though he had garnered critical acclaim for his debut venture "Barah Aana" as well. In his latest effort, he deserves praise for the apt casting but his direction left a lot to be desired, The biggest flaw is undoubtedly the lack of highlight on the food which was surprising especially since that was meant to be a character as well. Anywaz brownie points for capturing the father-son relationship realistically. Priya Seth has done a fine job with the cinematography while Raghu Dixit & Amaal Mallik has given us decent tracks. Saif Ali Khan has done a fantastic job as the chef going through a crisis & seemed a natural for the role. Padmapriya has always been a fine performer but for the people in the North, she is a new face & will surely be impressed by her performance. Svar Kamble was both adorable & talented while Mr. Ironman Milind Soman deserves praise for his brief role. Each & every artist in this movie have done their parts aptly which has gone a long way in elevating the movie that has been let down by the script. Verdict: It's the kind of movie that is unlikely to create waves at the box office & would appeal only to the urban audience. Even then, it doesnt quite match upto the original nor with other excellent food based movies that we have such as "The Lunchbox", "Ustaad Hotel", "Nala Damayanthi" etc. It had the potential to become a mouth watering delicacy, but is let down by a rather bland script. Despite that, you can give it a try as it is definitely a feel good movie!!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben

Simran2017

This weekend could be termed as the week of "Girl Power" as we had Sindhu making the nation proud with her exploits at the Korean Super Series. Even in Bollywood, we have a women centric movie with Kangana Ranaut, the reigning queen in the lead. There were numerous controversies leading to the release of the movie with regard to her statements on her male counterparts & nepotism. Whatever might be the case, the trailer of "Simran" seems to convey that it is going to be yet another gem from Kangana. With Hansal Mehta calling the shots, the quality of the movie wont be in question. But will it be able to satiate the audience??? Praful Patel (Kangana Ranaut) is a divorced, independent Gujarati female who worked in the hospitality industry in Atlanta. As her parents constantly nagged her to get hitched, she has been on the lookout for a suitable apartment where she could move into. After years of hard work, she finally managed to hoard sufficient savings along with a loan from the bank that would enable her to get a place of her choice. But before she could seal the deal, she goes on to Sin City with her cousin. Just like it has happened to many, she loiters into the casino & gets hooked onto the dealer's table once she starts winning. Hoping to cash in on more money, she gambles the next day as well & that's when reality hits her hard as she looses whatever she had including the deposit to her apartment. Her desperation to win it back makes her borrow money from a loan shark. Little did she realise that she was in an absolute quagmire which would change her life forever. Hansal Mehta's credentials as a director is well established with movies like "Aligarh", "Shahid", "City Lights" etc to his credit. His latest venture is loosely based on Sandeep Kaur aka "Bombshell Bandit", a Punjabi Sikh nurse who is presently serving jail time in the US for robbing several banks. The story by Apurva Asrani as such is interesting especially the complex character of Kangana that is intriguing, childish & crazy all rolled into one. But his screenplay falters in the second half, as the robbery, police investigation & climax seemed rather silly & preposterous. All the technical aspects has been handled adequately be it Anuj Rakesh's cinematography, Antara Lahiri's editing & Sachin Jigar's music. Coming to performances, it was a one woman show with Kangana being absolutely brilliant. Her goofiness in Vegas reminded me of Mr. Bean which was spot on. Equally impressive was her ability to convey her vulnerability & establishes her position as one of the finest actresses in the industry. Since the story basically revolved around her, none of the other characters barely got much screen space but even then Sohum Shah as Sameer deserves praise along with characters like Praful's parents & the bar attender in Vegas. Verdict: Well it's not a type of movie that will be lapped up by the masses but it will have the urban audience interested. There is no doubt that the film has flaws in the screenplay just like the protagonist. But if you ask me, Kangana's performance definitely makes it worth watching. In short, do check it out!!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Bareilly Ki Barfi2017

Last couple of days has been rather eventful with the Supreme Court passing the judgement that triple talaq is illegal, the Solar eclipse over the US & Nadal back to World No.1. Even I was quite busy with work commitments that I didnt quite find the time to pen down my thoughts about 'Bareilly ki Barfi". In normal circumstances, I wouldnt have bothered to write the review since it's been in the theatres for more than half a week. But I would have to admit, I was pretty entertained by it & as it doesnt have huge stars there is a good chance that many of my friends would have skipped or even be unaware about it. Hence I felt I should give you my opinion as to why it is worth a try. As the title indicates, the story unfolds in the bustling small town of Bareilly where Bitti Sharma (Kriti Sanon), a strong opinionated free spirited girl lived who was quite unlike other girls in the area. So much so, her mother (Seema Bhargava) constantly worried about the prospects of her daughter getting married off in the traditional manner. On the other hand, her father (Pankaj Tripathi), who ran a sweet shop gave his approval to all her crazy antics. None of the prospective grooms gave her the impression that they were ready to embrace her for the person that she was, until she stumbled across a novel called "Bareilly ki Barfi". Incidentally, the girl mentioned in the book had her same traits which made her decide to meet the author Pritam Vidrohi (Rajkkumar Rao). But all her efforts to locate him drew blank & therefore she sought the help of Chirag Dubey (Ayushmann Khurana), the publisher of the book who was said to know about his whereabouts. However, she was oblivious of the fact that Chirag was indeed the author. So why was Pritam being credited as the author??? The creator of this hilarious rom com is Aswiny Iyer Tiwari, who had made an impressive debut with "Nil Battey Sannata" that was critically acclaimed far & wide. She was aided in her task by her husband Nitesh Tiwari (of "Dangal" fame) who along with Shreyas Jain & Rajat Nonia had penned the script. It was sprinkled with humorous dialogues & situational comedy which was both realistic and in sync with the region where the story is based.Personally speaking, I absolutely loved the speech in the climax which kinda reminded me of Aamir in "Dil Chahta Hai". There are hardly much twists & turns making it fairly predictable.All the personnel involved in the technical aspects have done their jobs well. Frankly, I never thought Kriti Sanon would be able to do justice to the feisty character of Bitti as it seemed like a role which was up Kangana's alley. But she aced it in style along with Ayushmann who portrayed the forlorn lover as well as the grey shades in Chirag convincingly. But the star of the show is undoubtedly Rajkkumar Rao who was brilliant in the two avatars that he appeared. Equal praise needs to be vested upon Pankaj Tripahi, Seema Bhargava & Rohit Choudhary who have done utmost justice to their roles & also to Javed Akhtar's narration which made the viewing experience all the more enjoyable. Verdict: Undoubtedly one of the finest rom coms to have come out from Bollywood. Many a time, good movies do get overlooked due to the lack of star power. Hopefully this doesnt turn out to be one & therefore in case, you guys havent watched it; it wont hurt to give a try!!! Rating: 3.25/5 Regards...Ben

Toilet: Ek Prem Katha2017

As we step foot into the 71st year of Independence, we are at the cusp of becoming the next global economic powerhouse. But we fail to reach our potential as there are many areas where we are still stuck in the medieval period. At times, it is due to the Governments in power while at most instances it's due to the lackadaisical attitude of the population . One such problem that has plagued the country is lack of hygienic toilet practices & this issue is presented as a satire in "Toilet-Ek Prem Katha". The trailer was interesting & with Akki in the lead, there are high hopes about the project. So will it quell the dry spell at the box office after all Bollywood hardly had any big hits this year??? Keshav (Akshay Kumar) is the 36 year old son of a hard liner Brahmin, Panditji (Sudhir Pandey) who was the proprietor of a cycle shop. So dogmatic was his father, that Keshav was forced to marry a buffalo to ward off the 'maanglik' effect that was believed to have delayed his marriage. To add to his woes, his father was adamant that he should be married to a female who had polydactyly to ensure that he had a peaceful life. Around this time, he meets Jaya (Bhumi Pednekar) a state topper & with time, they enter into a relationship. He comes up with an ingenious idea to fool his father into believing that Jaya had an extra finger which paves the way for their marriage. But this was hardly a problem, until Jaya realizes that Keshav's house doesn't have a toilet & she would have to go with the 'lota party" in the wee hours to empty her bowels. She was livid about it & Keshav had to come up with an idea to resolve the problem lest she walks out on him. It's not surprising that Shree Narayanan Singh is a relatively unknown name after all he only has a forgetful "Yeh Jo Mohabbat Hai" to his credit as a director. However, with his latest venture he will be heard with more regularity as he has done a fine job with the execution of the satire for large portions of the movies though it falters towards the end. Inspired from real life characters such as Anita Narre & Priyanka Bharti (you would have see her in the Vidya Balan UNICEF Total Sanitation ad); it has been scripted by Siddharth Singh & Garima Wahal. The predicament that Akshay finds himself in & the 'jugaad' that he comes up with evokes laughs. The manner in which the movie tackles the core issue is hilarious & thought provoking, but the hurried climax seemed rather unconvincing & kinda misses the mark as it stretched a tad too long. Despite his praise worthy credentials as a editor in movies like "A Wednesday", "Baby" , "M. S Dhoni" etc.; he has come up short here as it ought to have been trimmed much more efficiently. Anshuman Mahaley has done a commendable job in maintaining the rustic feel while the music which was done by a host of artists were satisfactory. Over the past couple of years, Akshay's choice of movies has been nothing short of brilliant whether it hits the mark or not. His conscious effort to dabble with various genres be it comedy, social issues, action etc., makes him the actor that I most look forward to (apart from Aamir). He was fantastic as Keshav especially in the marriage scenes where he does goofy stuff that made me almost fall off the seat laughing. Equally impressive was Bhumi who portrayed the fiesty spirit & romantic avatar with ease. It's hard to say who hasnt aced their part as each & every artist has done utmost justice to their roles be it Sudhir Pandey, Anupam Kher, Divyendu Sharma etc. Verdict: The box collections at the end of the opening weekend stands at an impressive 51 C, which gives ample proof that if the content is good then the audience will lap it up. Even as our nation talks about going digital, the stats shows us that close to 45% of our population still dont use toilets even when the authorities offer to build it. From time to time, we have had movies with strong messages; but I sincerely hope that this one will atleast make people make a conscious effort to deter from open defecation. In short, dont miss this hilarious satire!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Jab Harry Met Sejal2017

On the occasion of Friendship Day, I would like to tell to all my buddies that I do cherish the support & brotherhood that we have shared over the years. As Aristotle said "friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies". Even as this weekend that celebrated companionship, it also saw the release of Imtiaz Ali''s "Jab Harry met Sejal" with King Khan & Anushka Sharma as the lead pair. With such a deadly combination, the expectations are nigh high, but will it be a milestone in Bollywood's array of romantic movies??? Harinder Singh aka Harry (SRK) is a tourist guide in Europe, who is adept at his work but emotionally disturbed with memories from the past haunting him. His latest assignment was with a Gujarati family who were dropped off at the airport at the end of the tour. But before Harry could leave the airport, Sejal (Anushka Sharma) a member from that team stayed back & sought his help to find her engagement ring that she had lost during the tour. Though reluctant, he was eventually coaxed into helping her when she threatened him of complaining to the agency. Thus begins their search for the ring across the length & breadth of the continent. It's been a couple of years since we had a movie from Imtiaz Ali, with the last one being "Tamasha". I have been a fan of his brand of film making which invariably focused on his distinct take on romance that is expressed through self discovery in a travelogue setup. As in the case of his previous ventures, he has scripted this one as well & it deals with the same topic. The biggest flaw with the movie is the script itself as it seemed more like a travelogue of exotic locations with scant regard for the characters. To put it bluntly, hardly anything happens in this 144 minute drag fest. The one aspect that deserve brownie points is the cinematography & kudos to K U Mohanan for it. The same applies to the stylist as well, who made sure that the protagonists looked good together. As for the music, there were way too many songs; some of which were forcibly inserted into the proceedings. Unfortunately for Pritam, none of his tracks actually registers while I wont out the blame of Aarti Bajaj's mediocre editing solely on her. In recent times, SRK hasnt been able to juggle up the numbers at the box office in proportion to his star appeal. So is it because of his acting skills or choice of scripts? From my point of view, even though he isnt the most gifted artist around; he is beyond doubt the most charming one. To be fair to him, I actually feel his performance has been impressive in recent times ("Dear Zindagi", "Raees" & "Fan") but his choice of scripts has been pathetic for large parts. Even Harry will go down as one such misfire where the script slips worse than a banana skin. Anushka does capture our attention with her histrionics, though it seemed artificial & over the top at various instances. Verdict: As per box office reports, "JHMS" was one of SRK's worst opening in recent times. It might sound harsh to the makers, but it's a welcome sign that more & more people are giving importance to content rather than the artists involved. With a rather non-existent script, this is more like a travelogue that you can watch in the confines of the cool theatre. In terms of the emotional baggage that is portrayed (no semblance to the story at all), it felt like the inferior sibling of "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil". In short, taking cue from their tagline "this movie is definitely not what we seek"!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Indu Sarkar2017

One of the biggest blemishes in Independent India was the Emergency imposed during the period of 1975-77 by President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on the behest of the PM Indira Gandhi. The mastermind behind this decision was said to be Sanjay Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru dynasty & it was a curb on all sort of freedom of the citizens, not to forget the forced sterilization of men. Madhur Bhandarkar's films have always focused on the vices & virtues of various industries be it "Fashion", "Page 3" etc. This time around he has turned his attention to Emergency & it remains to be seen whether he has given an unbiased account of events??? The protagonist of the movie is an orphan Indu (Kirti Kulhari) who suffered from a congenital stammer. It proved to be a hindrance during her days at the orphanage as many potential parents refused to adopt her. In time, she grew up to be an educated lady with a flair for poetry though her ultimate wish was to get married & settle down. However, her stammer was too big a problem for many prospective grooms & their mothers. But destiny finally smiled on her as she got married to a civil servant, Navin Sarkar (Tota Roy Chowdhury) who was the go-to man of a prominent minister in the Government. It was around this time that Emergency was imposed, which made Indu witness to many unsavoury events. How it brings about a change in her attitude forms the crux of the movie. Madhur Bhandarkar's credentials as a director needs no introduction as it is well documented with some classic films. But it's been quite a while since his movies have made an impact at the box office which is understandable as most of them were abysmal. This track record is unlikely to change for his latest venture as well as his script doesnt offer anything substantial rather than just barely skim through some of the prominent events. Despite the uncanny similarities to prominent political figures, he refrains from using their names & reduces them to typical Bollywood villains, rather than attempt to make it into a thrilling political drama. On the positive side, credit ought to be given for the casting; as the choice of artists was impressive & they have delivered as well. Kirti Kulhari continues her fine form from "Pink" & was spot on with her portrayal of the protagonist. Tota Roy. Sheeba Chadha (as Mekhla) & Manav Vij (as Inspector Sodhi) have done justice to their roles. Neil Nitin Mukesh could have been the doppelganger of Sanjay Gandhi but he was handicapped by being reduced to a stereotypical Bollywood villain. Verdict: Apart from the clever choice of words for the title, there is hardly anything worthwhile contrary to what the trailer conveyed. There was ample scope for a riveting political drama but what we get is mundane stuff. However, kudos to the sincere effort of the artists though the same cant be said about Madhur. In short, wont hurt to give it a miss!!! Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

Mubarakan2017

Hilarious comedies has been far & few in recent times for reasons best known to film makers. Invariably, majority of the so called "comedies" that hits the screens are inundated with sexual innuendos. I would have laughed at some of the jokes though frankly speaking, I am not a huge fan of such comedies. This week saw the release of Anees Bazmee's "Mubarakan" which was in the news as it featured the first reel collaboration between uncle Anil Kapoor & nephew Arjun Kapoor. So will it be as hilarious as some of his previous ventures??? Karan & Charan (Arjun Kapoor) were twins who were orphaned in their infancy when their parents met with an accident. They were then raised by their aunt & uncle, with Karan in London under the care of Jitto (Ratna Pathak Shah) & Charan with Balvinder (Pavan Malhotra) in Punjab. Both of them grow up to become handsome hunks & Jitto decides to fix Charan's alliance with Bickle (Athiya Shetty), daughter of Sandhu, a rich industrialist. Since Charan was already in a relation with Nafisa (Neha Sharma), he sought the help of his uncle Kartar Singh (Anil Kapoor) to somehow get out of the proposal. But instead of solving the issue, the situation got messier by the minute. It's been a while since Bazmee had a release with his previous one being the forgetful "Welcome Back" a couple of years back. It's common knowledge that Bollywood does struggle to make movies that belong to the comedy genre without going under the belt. In that respect, this one stands out though its plot is neither unique nor executed in a fresh manner. But there are a number of sequences that will genuinely make us laugh. However, it is awfully long & Rameshwar Bhagat ought to have cut it short by half an hour. None of the other technical aspects deserves mention. Arjun might be the protagonist, but it's his uncle Anil who walks with the applause courtesy of his comic timing & buffoonery. Equally impressive were Ratna Pathak & Pavan Malhotra, who shoulders many of the scenes expertly. Arjun has done a decent job though there is much scope for improvement. As for the female leads, Ileana is spirited, Athiya didnt have much to do while Neha was given a raw deal. Verdict: It's been a while since we had a comedy movie which should work in its favour as it ticks that box. For a weekend spent out with family, this movie will be an ideal choice to lift the spirits. In short, it wont become a money spinner for Bazmee but you my give it a try !!! Rating; 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

Dunkirk2017

Over the years, Hollywood has had some extraordinary directors such as Hitchcock, Spielberg, Lucas, Ridley Scott, Tarantino etc etc. But one person who has absolutely fascinated me with each of his films is Christopher Nolan. I became his fan with "Memento" & since then he has never ceased to surprise the audience with his craft. On the contrary, he kept setting the bar higher & higher. So when the trailer of his war thriller "Dunkirk" hit the screens just before Xmas, it created an unprecedented hype & anticipation. Is it indeed one of the greatest war movie ever made??? As the name suggests, it is about the evacuation of the British forces who were stranded on the beach of Dunkirk in France during WWII. The enemy (interestingly not even once, Germany is mentioned) was unleashing hell on the 400,000 soldiers who were virtually sitting ducks on the beach. The movie moves in a non linear pattern with three separate tracks, each of which focuses on land, water & air respectively. The first track happens over a week & is about a young British soldier Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) who had managed to reach the beach alive & was trying to find a vessel which would take him home. With the Royal Navy ships coming under heavy fire, they opt to command private boats for evacuation. Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) joins the mission but rather than wait for the Navy, he sets sail on his own with his son Peter (Tom Glynn) & his friend, George (Barry Keoghan). This track unfolds over a day while the third segment happens over an hour in the sky. The Royal Airforce spitfire fighters which included Farrier (Tom Hardy) tried to keep the airspace clear to provide a safe passage for the rescue boats. Apart from donning the director's hat, Nolan has penned this brilliant script as well. The beauty of the movie is that even though there are very few dialogues, the impact that is able to create on the audience is unbelievable. He has weaved all the three segments so well that even though there are difference in time duration, we dont feel it at all. All the technical aspects are brilliant & so realistic especially the aerial sequences that we actually feel we are on the fighter planes, kudos to Hoyte's breath taking visuals. Another major factor that elevated the viewing experience to a whole different level was Hans Zimmer's music which instills chills & goose bumps in equal measure. As far as performances are concerned, each & every actor has done utmost justice to their roles. Tom Hardy with his mask on reminded me of Bane from "The Dark Knight Rises" but that didnt handicap him as his expressions conveys the emotions effectively. The same applies to Kenneth Branagh as Commander Bolton, Mark Rylance & Tom Glynn as well. Verdict: It is undoubtedly one of the greatest war movies ever made which is more than reason enough not to miss this gem. Even without the gory scenes that is part & parcel of movies in this genre, it still manages to keep us on the edge of our seats. In short, just rush to your nearest theatre if you havent done it till now!!! Rating: 4.5/5 Regards...Ben

Jagga Jasoos2017

The Indian eves have booked their place in the WC semis & Roger will be gunning for his 19th Grand Slam title in less than 6 h from now. Since I had time at my disposal, I decided to check out "Jagga Jasoos" after I was done with the household shopping for the week. Ever since I had seen the trailer, I was enthralled by the manner it was picturised as it seemed like a mishmash of Hollywood & Bollywood (in a good way). With a stellar cast & crew behind the making of the movie, the expectations are nigh high. So will it be a critical & commercial success like "Barfi"??? Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor) was an orphan who had the problem of stammering but had a keen eye for detail which made him an expert at deduction. He didnt have anyone for company, until he was adopted by Badal Bagchi aka Tooti Footi (Saswata Chatterjee) who instilled in him the confidence to overcome his stammer. Life moved on happily for Jagga, until his father puts him in the boarding school & leaves on a secret mission. Over the next few years, the only contact that Jagga had with his father was the video cassette that Toti Footi used to sent him on his birthday. But when the present stops coming, he senses that some danger might have befallen his father & sets out to unravel it with the help of the journalist, Shruti (Katrina Kaif). This impressive piece of art is the creation of Anurag Basu, who continues his fine form after "Barfi" which was released five years back. Scripted by Anurag himself, the film is a combination of different genres such as musical, mystery & romance. Kudos to his vision, as it engrosses our attention even though it runs close to three hours. The protagonist seems to be a desi version of Tintin & the whole movie has basically got three separate cases which gets bigger & grander as it reaches the climax. Personally speaking, I absolutely loved the musical format & all the technical aspects were brilliant. Pritam & Amitabh Bhattacharya deserves praise for their excellent music & lyrics such as "Khaana Khaake", "Galti se Mistake" etc which accentuates the mood of the movie. Equally impressive was Ravi Varman's visuals that captivates us. Ranbir was brilliant as Jagga & has done utmost justice to the role. The same amount of praise or even more applies to Saswata as well, who would be familiar to many as the assassin in "Kahaani". Saurabh Shukla rocks as usual while Katrina & Rajatava Dutta have done their parts aptly as well. Verdict: The unique treatment & musical format might not be palatable to many as was evidenced by the mixed reviews that had come out. From my point of view, it is an excellent movie which is distinct in flavour & yet ticks all the desired boxes that would entertain the audience. In short, definitely check it out; who knows maybe you will also love it!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Mom2017

Over the years, we have heard & read about articles which scream hoarse about the importance of women equality. There is no doubt that it is a fundamental right that is extremely important for the upliftment of the female gender & development of any nation. However, I believe all of this will happen unless the women is given the respect that they deserve as a human being rather than a commodity for gratification. Sadly, we are witness to news about gory rape incidents all across our country every day & though there are rules in place, more often than not our judicial system is found to be woefully short. This is exactly what is depicted in Ravi Udyawar's "Mom" which has Sridevi as the protagonist. But Bollywood has a habit of making such movies pretty cliche & titillating rather than make us empathetic about the victim. Will this be any different??? Devki (Sridevi) is a Biology teacher in a respectable school in Delhi who is popular among her students. But she knew were to draw the line as Mohit, a wayward rich kid realised when she threw his mobile out of the window as punishment for sending a porn clip to her step daughter Arya (Sajal Ali). Even though, Devki adored Arya as her own child; the latter maintained a frosty relation with her. With Valentine's Day just round the corner, Arya sought the permission of her father Anand (Adnan Siddiqui) to attend the most happening party in the city. Though reluctant early on, he eventually agrees after Devki's persuasion. Little did they realise that this party would change their lives forever. The film was helmed by debutant Ravi Udyawar who is relatively well known in the advertising world. Along with Girish Kohli & Venkat Rao, he has scripted a story which is not unfamiliar to any of us due to similarities to real life incidents. Even otherwise as well, it is more or else similar to Raveena Tandon's "Maatr". But it would be fair to admit that this is a superior version of it, in terms of the way it has been shot & the caliber of the leading lady. However, it fails to thrill the audience & except for Sajal, we dont empathize with neither the sequences (except for the court scenes which was brilliant) or the characters. Equally unrealistic was the manner in which the protagonist gets away with the crime. On the technical side, hats off to the Anay Goswami's slick visuals especially the manner in which the rape was picturised until the victim gets disposed. AR Rahman's BGM was brilliant & added to the overall impact. However, I wish Monisha Baldawa was more judicious with the editing. Coming to performances, this is Sridevi's first outing since "English Vinglish" & is her 300th movie in the 50th year of her film career. She carries the movie on her shoulders & brings her A game to the fore, though she hams it up at times. Sajal Ali was excellent along with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who provides the comic relief with his hilarious statements. Akshaye Khanna was wasted while the others have done their parts adequately. Verdict: As expected, it is unlikely to create a rush at the box office due to the genre & grim nature of the subject. When it comes to the thread, it wont come across as anything unique but the manner in which it has been shot coupled with credible performances makes it worth watching. In short, it's definitely worth a try!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Spider-Man: Homecoming2017

In recent times, superhero movies have taken the world by storm & the two big players slugging it out for box office glory are DC & Marvel. But it would be fair to admit that Marvel have come up on top invariably at all times. However, about a fortnight back I had watched "Wonderwoman" & my word, it was freaking awesome. It is surely the first genuine threat that DC had posed & Marvel would be hoping that they can negate that threat with the Spiderman franchise launched a third time. Hmm...it remains to be seen whether "Spiderman: Homecoming" would impress the audience or are there already too many spiders in the web??? The Avengers' battle with the Chitauris had demolished New York & the responsibility of cleaning up the city was entrusted upon Adrian Toomes (Micheal Keaton) & his salvage company. However, due to the risk of presence of exotic alien artifacts in the ruins; Tony Stark's (Robert Downey Jr.) Department of Damage Control took over the responsibility which put Adrian out of business. In order to make up for the loss, Adrian & his team enters into arms trafficking making use of the Chitauri technology that they had scavenged. Things moved along smoothly until a conflict broke out between Captain America & Iron Man ("Captain America: Civil War") & the latter brings in Spiderman (Tom Holland) into his team. After the conflict was resolved, Stark informed Peter that he would be kept in the loop as he still needed further training before being inducted into the Avengers. But Peter was impatient & inspite of Stark's stern message, tries to prove his worth by taking on criminals. It was during one such pursuit, that Spiderman stumbled upon Adrian's arms deal. So did he have it in him to take on Adrian or was Stark right after all??? At the turn of the 21st century, Sony Pictures decided to launch the Spiderman series & it was a decision that they never regretted The first two parts were both critical & commercial successes with Tobey Maguire donning the suit, but the final part garnered mixed reviews. They rebooted the franchise with Andrew Garfield which also saw a see saw effect after the initial hype. However, Sony laughed their way to the bank as they reaped close to four times of what they had invested. Now they have joined hands with Disney & Marvel, to launch a new version which would be in turn integrated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Watts was entrusted with the task & I would have to admit he has done a pretty good job despite the fact that he doesnt have a track record to harp about. The story by Goldstein & Francis Daley wouldnt make us sit up, but their screenplay made up for it with a lively premise. Interestingly they didnt waste time on the origin of Spiderman or characters like Uncle Ben, which was a smart move & gives us a fun filled breezy film instead that is so typical of Marvel productions. Tom Holland has done justice to his role while Michael Keaton breathes life into a villain which barely had much spice to it. As for the rest, Jacob Batalon as Ned was spot on, Marisa Tomei was wasted while Robert Downey Jr impresses in his extended cameo. Verdict: Spiderman has got off to a roaring start cashing in about $117 million dollars over the weekend. Frankly speaking I was sceptical when I had seen the trailer as I felt Tom Holland didnt seem to have the X factor needed for the character In short, it doesnt have a meaty story but you can rest assured that when you watch the movie you would be thoroughly entertained!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Tubelight2017

The holy month of Ramadan has come to an end with the fast broken & the new moon sighted. So on this auspicious occasion of Eid Al Fitr, I would like to wish Allah's Rahmat on all my fellow brings for a peaceful & prosperous life. Apart from hogging on the goodies, one of the indispensable ways of celebrating a festival is watching a movie & when it comes to Bollywood, this day is invariably locked down for Salman. In accordance with the usual trend, Salman presents "Tubelight" this year hoping to add further light to the festivities. Hmm... but will it be able in the same league as his previous blockbusters??? Based on Alejandro Monteverde's "Little Boy", the tale is set against the backdrop of the Indo-China war in 1962. The protagonists were two brothers who lived in the misty town of Kumaon nestled in the hills. Laxman Singh (Salman Khan) is a man child (more along the lines of Forest Gump) who endeared to one & all due to his innocence & slow witted nature which gave him the nickname "Tubelight". He was looked after by his protective younger brother, Bharat (Sohail Khan) & life seemed to move along peacefully until war broke out between the two neighbouring nations. As it was the need of the hour, there was large induction of youth into the army & Bharat happened to be one of them. Even though reluctant to leave his brother, Bharat heads into the war zone. Since he feared for his brother's well being, Laxman makes efforts to bring his brother back home. But will the two brothers ever meet again??? After the bombastic success of "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", Kabir Khan has yet again joined hands with Salman for their third collaboration. If "Little Boy" had a 8 year old kid as the protagonist then Kabir Khan used his creative freedom & financial acumen to make it into a guy in his early 50s. The primary flaw here is that there isnt a credible thread to the script & it's all about Laxman putting his faith to the test (except that it came across as rather trivial). In such a scenario, the 136 minute long movie tests our patience which should have been taken care of by Rameshwar Bhagat. On the brighter side, I did like Pritham's tracks which was in sync with the mood created while Aseem Mishra has done a decent job with the visuals. There is no doubt that Salman excels when he plays characters which exudes innocence & has a heart of gold. However, over here there were more emotionally charged sequences & he seemed rather inept at it; though we will still take a liking for his character's simplicity. Salman's scenes with Matin Rey Tenga worked out pretty well & the boy has given an impressive performance. Surprisingly, Sohail Khan has done a fine job in the few scenes that he appeared. The late Om Puri, Zhu Zhu, Zeeshan Ayub etc have all done justice to their parts. Shah Rukh's cameo as a magician was fantastic as he fitted the character perfectly. Verdict: The weekend got off to a great start for Salman as "Sultan" won the best action movie award at the Shanghai International Film Festival. However, he wouldnt have got a similar high from "Tubelight" as the opening day collection was one of the lowest for his Eid releases. Well it's definitely not surprising due to the reasons mentioned earlier. In short, it is yakeen to fall well short of expectations!!! Rating: 2/5 Regards...Ben

Sachin: A Billion Dreams2017

India begins its defense of the Champions Trophy in a week's time with the first clash against arch rivals Pakistan. Whether our team manages to defend the title remains to be seen but this excitement for the game began after we had lifted the WC in 1983. However, it was the greatest cricketer of all time Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar who skyrocketed our interest with his brilliance, humility & character. In the 90s, he was so dominant that the opposition feared him while the public adored him to the extent that people used to switch off the TV after he was dismissed. He has given us numerous memories over the years & carried the hopes of the nation for more than two decades. Hence when director James Erskine announced that he was planning a movie on the Bharat Ratna, the hype & excitement had gone through the roof. In recent times, there has been quite a few biographical movies about sports personalities like M S Dhoni, Milkha Singh, Phogat etc. However, this was a docu-drama rather than an biopic & it remains to be seen whether it would be as awesome as the legend himself. Sachinnnn...Sachinnnn...the chant still reverberates in my ears every time I set eyes on a cricket match. Just like many others, he was the sole reason why I started to watch the game & is one of the two idols that I always looked upto (the other being my father). I still remember the day when I first saw him on TV giving an interview to Tom Alter. In those days, the only cricketer's name that I knew was Kapil Dev & I was pretty fascinated to see a puny kid who was just 8 years older to me rub shoulders with the big guys. So I coaxed my mom, who was an avid sports lover to teach me the rules of the game. Incidentally the first match that I saw was the exhibition match in which he smashed the legendary Abdul Qadar for 27 which included four consecutive sixes. This craze continued until he hung his boots at the Wankhede Stadium after 24 long years. Erskine has tried to capture the highs & lows of Sachin's career, something which is not so easy after all he must have been the most scrutinized sports icon in the world. So there is hardly anything that most of us don't know about the Master Blaster. James Erskine might not be a popular name for many but those who are well versed with sports documentaries, he is a doyen at it. Some of his popular ventures being "Battle of the Sexes", "Pantani", "Shooting for Socrates" etc. In his latest venture "Sachin: A Billion Dreams", he has pretty much covered all the major events in Sachin's life with insights provided by his family being the highlight. Knowing the person that Sachin is, it wasn't a surprise that nothing much has been revealed about the match fixing scandal but ample screen time is devoted on his relation with his father, his injuries & mental state during the lows of his career. Even though the music wasnt vintage A R Rahman, it was in sync with the mood & elevates the viewing experience. Verdict: It wont rate as a top notch documentary drama but it has got everything that would keep us hooked. Sachin is not just a name but an emotion & for all of those individuals who had followed his career, this will give us an opportunity to relive the memories. It will make us smile, hoot, whistle & even choke a bit when he gives his heartfelt retirement speech. Being a hard core Sachin fan, I might be biased but even if you are only a cricket fan; you just cant afford to miss this!!! Rating: 3.5/5 Regards...Ben

Hindi Medium2017

As I was idling on my couch after a sumptuous Chinese buffet on Sunday afternoon with my friends, I happened to come across some articles about an Irrfan Khan movie titled "Hindi Medium" that had released over the weekend. Incidentally, it spoke positively about it & my curiosity was aroused as I was still hurting from the "Half Girlfriend" debacle. Though the thrilling IPL final & Real Madrid's La Liga triumph had made up for it, I decided to check it out after all I had some time to spare & Irrfan invariably had a track record of working in sensible movies. Raj Batra (Irrfan Khan) is the owner of an expensive boutique in Chandni Chowk & was blessed with all the luxuries of life. However, he wasnt proficient in English & didnt quite have the mannerisms of the so called "elite class", which his wife Mita (Saba Qamar) aspired for. Both of them had studied in govt schools & Mita was pretty adamant that their daughter studied in one of Delhi's prestigious English medium schools. Out of the prominent schools, 'Prakriti' was the one which was most sought after but it had a condition that it would provide admission to only those who stayed within a 3 km radius. Hoping to keep his wife happy, Raj unwillingly agrees to shift to Vasant Vihar & make changes to their lifestyles to gel with the upscale neighbourhood . Little did they realize that this was the least of their problems. The scramble for admissions in prestigious schools is a sight which we see every year & it goes without saying that most parents would go to any extent to ensure that their child is enrolled into one. Another main reason for this mad race is our nation's obsession for English over regional languages & it is a fact beyond doubt More often than not, the admission criteria for such schools is based on the bank balance of the parents, their lifestyles & status in society. Saket Chaudhary who showcased his prowess with "Pyaar Ke Side Effects" & "Shaadi Ke Side Effects" has been successful in weaving a hilarious satire on the scamper for admissions in the company of Zeenat Lakhani. There are sequences in the movie which are far fetched but it still strikes a chord with the audience as it is both funny & thought provoking at times. Laxman Utrekar's visuals was in sync with the mood while Sachin-Jigar has given some decent tracks as well. Irrfan Khan rocked as the protagonist which yet again reiterated as to why he is held in high esteem in the West & his chemistry with Saba Qamar was one of the main positives of the movie. Apart from being a delight for the eyes, the Pakistani actress is undoubtedly the best from her country to have graced the Indian screen in recent times. Equally impressive were Deepak Dobriyal & Swati Das who nailed their parts while Amrita Singh was ok who was hampered by a rather weakly written role. Verdict: As far as the script is concerned, it is undoubtedly inspired from the Bengali movie "Ramdhanu" which was remade into "Salt Mango Tree"in Malayalam. The hilarious take on the plight of parents for admissions is something many of us would relate to. Though not meant to demean the Indian educational system in total, it poses relevant questions as to what each one of us considers as effective education for our children. In short, dont miss it!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Half Girlfriend2017

What is the most important aspect of a movie? Hmm...well if you ask me it has to be the script. But that alone doesn't guarantee a good movie unless it is entrusted in the hands of a talented cast & crew. Irrespective of the language, literary works have always proved to be worthy scripts & over the years, many novels have been adapted into movies. Among the various novelists, Chetan Bhagat is one prominent name which pops up as many of his novels has been made into blockbuster movies such as "3 Idiots", "Kai Po Che" etc. His latest novel to have reached the 70mm screen is "Half Girlfriend". But will it be as successful as it's predecessors...hard to say, though to be frank, I dont believe it would. Madhav Jha (Arjun Kapoor), the heir to an esteemed lineage from Bihar secures a seat at the prestigious St Stephen's College on the back of a sports scholarship. He gets smitten by his college mate Riya Somani (Shraddha Kapoor), who was more like a tomboy & flaunted her affluent background. But behind that bold exterior she was actually a lonely girl who longed for love & companionship. Though Madhav was head over heels for her, she preferred to be aloof at times as she wasn't keen on a commitment or in her own words would prefer nothing more than being a "half girlfriend. Their relationship didnt last for long as Riya dropped out of college & was married off to her family friend. As expected, Madhav wasn't able to cope with the heart break & tried to channelize his energy towards the welfare of his villagers. The New York Times in 2008 cited Bhagat as "the biggest selling English language novelist in India's history". Well he might have sold quite a lot but a significant reason for the blockbusters was because they were in the hands of talented craftsmen like Rajkumar Hirani & Abhishek Kapoor. Mohit Suri does have some huge hits under his belt like "Aashiqui 2", "Murder 2" etc., but I don't quite consider him of the same caliber. Since I haven't read the novel, I can't comment as to how faithful the movie has been to it. But the fact is the plot itself is rather vague & the characters come across as rather shallow that you cant help cringing at times; not to forget that Mohit had chosen a wrong set of lead pairs who doesn't do justice to the requirements of their characters. If you would look at the track record of Mohit Suri, one positive aspect in almost all of his movies is the music. More often than not, all of them had atleast one chart buster & it's pretty much the same here as well. There are a host of music directors at work here & they have produced a couple of soulful tracks such as "Baarish", "Phir Bhi Tumko" etc. The visuals doesn't deserve special mention & Devendra Murusdeshwar's editing left a lot to be desired. Coming to the performances, neither Arjun nor Shraddha had the capabilities to pull off the characters. The one person who did impress was Vikrant Massey who has done a fine job as Shailesh. Verdict: There are no two words about it, the film has a lot of pitfalls in the script & it was further handicapped by two lead actors who doesnt have it in them the ability to enact with conviction. To make matters worse, they had zero chemistry between them. Even though not intended to be hilarious, the scene where they superimposed Bill Gates's face on someone else's body just shows how tacky the making has been. In short, better to watch the IPL final rather than give yourself a headache!!! Rating: 2/5 Regards...Ben

Meri Pyaari Bindu2017

Just as I was browsing through the entertainment news today, one headline which caught my eye was the news of "Dangal" having crossed 1000 C as well courtesy of its release in China more than a week back. Incidentally, Aparshakti Khurrana who made an impressive debut in "Dangal" had his more popular brother Ayushmann's movie "Meri Pyaari Bindu" hitting the screens this weekend. So will it make the situation even more graver for "Sarkar 3" which is struggling to make even 10 C??? Abhimanyu Roy (Ayushmann) is a best selling author in the horror erotica genre who decided to forego his corporate career to pursue his passion of writing. It proved to be the right decision as his books became an instant hit among the readers, though the critics panned it as nothing more than cheap thrills. It's been a couple of years since his last book had hit the stands as he was presently victim to the writer's block. With his publisher constantly nagging him, Abhi had to come up with something fast but he just couldnt produce it onto paper. It was at this juncture that his parents forced him to visit them in Kolkata. This sowed the seeds for his next book as he stumbled across a mixed tape that he had made with his best friend & crush, Bindu (Parineeti Chopra). How their relationship developed over the years forms the crux of the movie. The film has been helmed by the debutant Akshay Roy who along with the help of the script by Suprotim Sengupta try to put their desi flavour to the rom com genre. The idea of narrating the ups & downs of their relationship with the mixed tape was definitely interesting. However, that concept was barely developed & it turned out to be nothing more than a collection of old classic songs which kept popping up at times. There are quite a few sequences which hooks the audience especially the parts shot in Kolkata which was both funny & sentimental but the plot as such was barely existent & we dont actually empathise with the characters. Tushar Ray has done a fine job with the visuals with the opening shot of Durga Devi deserving special praise while Sachin-Jigar has done a decent job with the music. Both the performers have done their parts well, but Ayushmann's character had more depth to it which he portrayed equally well. As for Parineeti, her character felt pretty superficial & doesnt give much insight into Bindu as such. With regard to other characters, Aparajita Auddy who played the part of Abhi's mother was hilarious while the rest of the characters have also done their parts aptly. Verdict: It will cater to the multiplex audience & should be able to break even in due time. The absymal "Sarkar 3" will also work in its favour & most of the people would have watched "Baahubali" by now. In short, it is surely not one of the best rom coms to come from the Yash Raj stable, but it wont hurt to give it a try if you do like the genre!!! Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

Sarkar 32017

It's been a fortnight since "Baahubali 2" has released & as I had predicted it has crossed the 1000 C mark with ease. As the epic's box office collections steadily makes it way into unchartered territories, the other film makers back home have been skeptical regarding when to showcase their wares lest they get drowned in the Baahubali tsunami. However, we did have a reasonably high profile release this week in the form of "Sarkar 3". But will RGV's creation have the quality to make us sit up & take notice? Seems like a tall ask after all his creativity (does he still have it?) is a pale shadow of what it was more than a decades back. Subhash Negre (Big B) is still the darling of the masses & headache of the corrupt as he maintained an iron fist over the political climate in the state. Inspite of having lost both his sons & survived numerous assassination attempts on his life, he continued to make sure that the commoners were not exploited by the rich & powerful. He was ably assisted by his trusted lieutenant Gokul (Ronit Roy) & as expected just as his followers increased, his enemies also grew in number. The latest adversary who sought to end Sarkar's reign happened to be Michael Mallya (Jackie Shroff), a real estate businessman who operated from Dubai. But a bigger problem was when Sarkar's grandson Shivaji (Amit Sadh) sought to come under his grandfather's wings. Just like his father, Shivaji was impulsive & brash which created unrest in Sarkar's camp much to the delight of Michael & his men who milked the situation to their benefit. Can Sarkar trust anyone on his side or was it the end of the road for him??? There was a time when Ram Gopal Verma was one of the most exciting directors in the country with movies like " Siva", "Company", "Rangeela", "Ab Tak Chappan" etc. But a couple of years into the new millennium, he seemed to have lost his touch to enthrall the audience as he churned out mediocre ventures at alarming regularity. However, on saying that this is surely one of his better efforts in the past decade. When the first part came out in 2005, it gripped the audience as it was inspired from Bal Thackeray & the Godfather series. Even the sequel had a story to tell with Abhishek & Aishwarya put into the mix. But the latest installment didnt have anything to convey as Nilesh Girkar, Jaya Kumar & Ramkumar Singh might have just taken the CDs of the prequels & changed the name of the characters. Interestingly even a fleeting mention of Aishwarya's character is not made in the movie considering she was calling the shots at the end of the second part. The only portion which did interest me was the climax though by that time I was waiting for the movie to end. RGV always had a fascination for bikini clad chicks, silhouettes, odd camera angles, focusing on inanimate objects even as the characters are blurting out their corny dialogues & all of this is present in ample measure here as well. It has been captured through Amol Rathod's frames & the blaring BGM has been the contribution of Ravi Shankar & Rohan Vinayak. When it came to performances, it is basically a Big B show but he doesnt have anything to do apart from slurping his coffee & speak in his baritone voice. He has done justice to his role though he could have done it even with his eyes closed. Amit Sadh impressed as the short tempered instinctive Shivaji along with Ronit Roy. Manoj Bajpayee was wasted, Jackie evoked a couple of chuckles with his double entendres while Yami Gautam & the rest barely had anything substantial to do. Verdict: There is hardly any factor which works in its favour to the extent that I would rate "Meri Pyaari Bindhu" way better than this. With "Baahubali" going strong, it will struggle to make it to the next week & will end up as yet another flop in RGV's career. In short, dont bother as it's as trivial as his tweets!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Baahubali 22017

April 28th, 2017; the date that all movie lovers have been waiting for is finally here. I dont think I need to elaborate about it since it is common knowledge that it is the release date of "Baahubali 2: The Conclusion". There has never been any Indian movie that has garnered as much pre-release hype as Rajamouli's magnum opus. It's a known fact that living upto expectations is no mean task & Rajamouli and his team had gargantuan expectations stacked up against them. So did they manage to scale those lofty heights??? So why did Katappa (Satyaraj) kill Baahubali (Prabhas)??? a question that has been asked a million times & gave birth to numerous memes . Well we have the answer now but dont worry guys, I am not going to post any spoilers here. The sequel begins with Sivagami (Ramya Krishnan) instructing Baahubali to tour the kingdom to know his subjects prior to his coronation with Katappa for company. In the meantime, she was also on the lookout for a suitable bride for him but Baahubali during his journey fell for Devasena (Anushka Shetty), the princess of the Kuntala kingdom. Bhallala Deva (Rana Daggubati) saw this as an opportunity to create a fall-out between his mother & cousin. But what was his actual plan & did it actually work out??? Rajamouli, the master craftsman is back with a bang & he has gone all out to create a movie that gives us a measure of his imagination. The extravagant scale in which it is made will surely make one to gasp in awe. The biggest plus for most parts is the well etched characters especially the females who actually decides in which track the story moves forward. The emotional sequences are undoubtedly the best & the stunt choreography is awesome (it might appear outlandish at times, but I loved it). However, the first 40 minutes could have been much more compactly picturised with the comedy track not quite hitting the mark at times & the climax was rather hurried (maybe Rajamouli didnt want to make a 2.5). On the technical side, the VFX was excellent for most parts but some portions didnt quite have the perfection expected. Senthil Kumar deserves praise for the mesmerizing visuals while Sabu Cyril & his team have done a mind boggling in the art direction department. M.M Keeravani has done a decent job with the music though BGM was damn good. What do I say about Prabhas? I havent seen any of his movies prior to the Baahubali series but frankly speaking, I cant think of anyone who could have done that character any better. Hats off to his dedication & the same applies to Rana Daggubati as well. Satyaraj scorched the screen with a brilliant performance while Nasser & Subbaraju have done justice to their roles. However, the show stealers for me were Ramya Krishnan & Anushka, both of whom have given knock out performances with the meaty role that they were entrusted with. Verdict: As expected, it has broken all the opening records & became the first Indian movie to collect more than 100 C on a single day. It was made on a combined budget of around 300 C & had collected more than 500 C even prior to its release through sales of its rights etc. It might be early to predict, but I believe it will be the first Indian film to gross 1000 C at the box office. In short, you definitely got to watch it & be a part of Indian film history!!! Rating: 4/5 Regards...Ben

Noor2017

With just a week left for "Baahubali: The Conclusion" to hit the screens, there are no other major releases in the horizon. Well it's quite understandable after all this mammoth movie will certainly swallow anything in its path in the initial phase. However, we did have women centric movies take centre stage amidst this lull with "Begum Jaan" last week & Sonakshi's "Noor" this weekend. To be frank, I didnt even know that such a movie was even going to release & hence had no expectations at all. Hmm...in such a scenario it should be easier to satisfy the audience in me isnt it, but did it mange to do that??? Noor (Sonakshi Sinha) is a journalist who aspires to be the next "Barkha" but her boss assigns her to cover news on subjects which is nowhere even remotely related to meaningful journalism. Her personal life was also a mess & she spent most parts of the day cribbing about her very existence. The only people who brought a smile to her face were her close buddies, Zara (Shibani Dandekar) & Saad (Kanan Gill). But things started to look brighter when she meets Ayan Banerjee (Purab Kohli), an ace photographer & they hit off in due time. On the professional side as well, she stumbles upon an organ harvesting scam when her domestic help, Malti (Smita Tambi) confides in her about the misfortune that had befallen on her brother. Will this story be the break that Noor was waiting for??? Based on Saba Imtiaz's "Karachi, You are Killing me!" (which I haven't read), Sunhil Sippy have made a movie which is a concoction of rom-com & investigative journalism. But the sad reality is he wasn't able to do justice to either of them especially the latter one. The manner in which the protagonist goes about her job would have even made an amateur journalist cringe in embarrassment. Even when Noor messes up stuff, instead of standing up & sorting it out, Sunhil chose to make the character run away from it. The only thing that actually works (that too, partially) is the rom-com part which kinda reminded me of "Bridget Jones's Diary". On the technical side, Keiko Nakahara's visuals were fine while the music by Amaal Mallik was average. Even though the movie is just under 2 hours, it still manages to test our patience. Sonakshi has done a fine job in the lighthearted portions but ends up short in the other parts. Smita Tambe was brilliant while Shibani, Purab & Kanan have done justice to their parts. Verdict: "Noor" will struggle to stay afloat beyond this weekend even though there is no other competition. Sunhil could have surely done a lot better with the basic story line that he had, unfortunately it wasn't the case as it culminates in a muddled climax as well. In short, don't bother!!! Rating: 2/5 Regards...Ben

Naam Shabana2017

Whenever we talk about Hindi espionage movies, one of the first few films that comes to my mind is Neeraj Pandey's "Baby". So when it was announced that Neeraj Pandey is planning a spin off prequel titled "Naam Shabana", I was pretty excited. The trailer further heightened the expectations as it showed Prithvi as the antagonist & Akki in a cameo, not to forget about Taapsee who kicked some serious ass. So it now remains to be seen whether it was able to live upto expectations & deliver what it promised??? For those who have seen "Baby", it's unlikely that you would have forgotten special agent Shabana Khan (Taapsee Pannu) who rocked the screen in a brief role. In "Naam Shabana", it shows as to how she was recruited into the intelligence agency. Shabana was a martial arts student who had a dark past due to which she used to confide only in her mother. When her friend, Jay (Taher Shabbir) expresses his love for her; things started to brighten up in her life until Jay meets with his death in an eve-teasing incident. At this juncture, she gets an offer from the agency that they would help her avenge Jay's death if she agrees to join them. Shabana accepts their offer but was she really upto the challenge??? Shivam Nair has called the shots & since I havent seen any of his previous movies, I dont have any reference as to how good he is as a story teller. However, since it is Neeraj Pandey's production I had huge expectations especially since he was handling the script & screenplay. Without mincing words, I would have to admit that it was nowhere in the league of "A Wednesday", "Special 26" or "Baby". The film invests an enormous amount of time on the backstory which was far from engaging & if one expects that things will get better when the mission starts, then they are grossly mistaken. The plot is wafer thin & apart from a couple of sequences, it lacks logic and finesse with the hasty predictable climax being the prime example for it. One of the highlights of the movie are the action sequences which were choreographed by noted French stuntman Cyril Raffaeli. Even Sudheer Palsane deserves praise for the long shot visuals while the music was pretty mediocre. Taapsee has performed admirably as the protagonist in the action sequences though in the other segments, she comes across as rather bland. Even though Prithvi is the villain, it was more like a cameo & he gets wasted in a role which lacked substance. Akshay rocks in his brief role (included keeping the box office in mind) while Manoj Bajpayee is barely allowed to do anything significant apart from talk on the phone & keep looking on the screen. Verdict: Since female centric action movies are quite rare in our country, it is unique in that sense. But however on saying that, more often than not Akshay's character seemed to take centre stage as the protector, rather the backup that he is projected to be. It should be able to collect a reasonable initial but once that is over, it will struggle to remain relevant. In short, keep yourself occupied watching the finals between Federer-Nadal at the Miami Masters & Sindhu-Marin at the India Open, rather than investing time for this!!! Rating: 2.25/5 Regards...Ben

Phillauri2017

It's been a while since I had written the review for a movie & it had more to do with the dearth of movies which tempted me to watch. I did watch "Commando 2" & didn't feel it was worth the time to write something about. With the summer holidays fast approaching, there are a host of movies lined up for the next couple of weeks. This weekend we have Anushka Sharma's "Phillauri" hitting the screens & from the trailer, it looks pretty promising. Hopefully she wont be hurt by mediocre box office returns just like Kohli who had to retire hurt from the last match of the Ind-Aus series. The film unfolds with Kanan (Suraj Sharma) flying down from Canada to Amritsar to marry his childhood sweetheart, Anu (Mehreen Pirzada). He didn't seem quite enthusiastic about it as he felt that they were rushing into wedlock, much to the dismay of Anu. Both their families were however moving ahead with the arrangements & one of them involved getting Kanan married to a tree to ward off the ill luck which might befall on them in future. It so happened that the tree had the spirit of Sashi (Anushka Sharma) & the ritual carried out meant he was married to her. Incidentally, he was the only one who could see her & as expected, it proves to be the trigger of mayhem. So how was Kanan going to get himself freed from Sashi or was it a figment of his imagination borne out of his weed puffing habits??? This is Anushka Sharma's second production after "NH10" & she has given the reins of the movie to the debutant director, Anshai Lal. It has been scripted by Anvita Dutt, the thread of which is kinda novel though there is a feel of Hollywood about it towards the climax. Unlike most movies, the first half is its weak point since apart from the initial laughs, hardly anything happens though it did have the scope for it, The second half is interesting when it focuses on the pre-independence love story & just like Imtiaz Ali's "Love Aaj Kal", this segment endears to the audience & I personally loved the climax (even though it was stretched a bit too much). The main drawback of the movie is its length as the subject as such wasnt explored adequately & it lacked substance. On the technical side, the CGI was done well, Sameer Uddin's BGM was impressive while Shashwat Sachdev & Jasleen Royal's music was in sync with the mood of the movie. Anushka Sharma has done a fine job along with Diljit Dosanjh, who impressed in the intense scenes. Suraj Sharma (of "Life of Pi" fame) was just about adequate while Mehreen Pirzada seemed apt for the role. Verdict: The film is unlikely to make such of an impact at the box office as it will cater only to the multiplex audience. But since the production cost is just 21C, it should be able to break even in a week or so. So would I suggest to watch it??? well I would if you are in a mood for a Hindi movie; but if you are in Kerala watch "Take Off" first before even thinking of anything else!!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben

Rangoon2017

The curtains have come down on the 89th Academy Awards & it did have it's share of controversies that everyone would be aware of by now. More often than not, Oscars always featured some World War dramas & this year was no different with Mel Gibson's "Hacksaw Ridge". Over the years, Hollywood has come up with numerous WWII movies but it happened to be one event in history that our film makers barely explored even though our troops played a significant part in it. Incidentally, this week we had Vishal Bhardwaj's "Rangoon" which is set during that period & the trailer looked really impressive. So is it one of Vishal's masterpieces??? The Second World Flow was in full swing as the English played an active role in it through their British Indian Army. At the same time, India made strong strides towards Independence under the leadership of Gandhiji with his principle of non-violence. However, Subash Chandra Bose wasn't convinced with Gandhiji's strategy & formed the Indian National Army (INA) with the help of the Japanese. Their combined forces made constant inroads in the Indo-Burma border & many Indian soldiers of British Indian Army were taken as PoW which included Jemadar Nawab Malik (Shahid Kapoor), who subsequently managed to escape. Elsewhere in the country, Julia (Kangana Ranaut) was the numero uno female movie star known for her breath taking daredevilry on screen. She worked for Billimoria's production house & was in an affair with Rusi Billimoria (Saif Ali Khan) who ran the show. In order to lift the spirits of the forces in the war zone, Major General David Harding (Richard McCabe) coaxes Julia & Rusi to make the trip assuring them of top notch security with Nawab Malik as her personal security. But as one would expect, anything can go wrong in a war zone & that's exactly what happened. Vishal Bharadwaj's credentials as a film maker is well established with premier movies like "Maqbool", "Omkara", "Haider" etc. which showcased a myriad of emotions. In his latest venture as well, there is no dearth of emotions all of which is encompassed within a love story against the backdrop of freedom struggle which he has scripted in the company of Matthew Robbins & Sabrina Dhawan. The war zone has been picturized realistically & the frames looked authentic in terms of art direction and costumes. The main flaw with the movie is the inability to marry the romance with the war backdrop & that would prove to be a deterrent for many in the audience. With regard to the climax, it was hurried, a bit over the top & the CGI used was pretty mediocre. On the technical side, Pankaj Kumar's visuals were fantastic while the combo of Vishal & Gulzar in the music department was excellent. However, Aalaap Majgavkar ought to have done a much better job with the editing. Kangana absolutely rocked as Julia, whose character was undoubtedly modeled after the yester year stunt queen "Fearless Nadia". She was given a role of substance & she has done justice to it. Equally impressive were her co-stars though Shahid had more screen space. Saif Ali was an apt choice as the suave film maker but he isnt provided as much opportunity as he was given in "Omkara". Richard McCabe has done a decent job as the cunning English General while the rest of the cast were adequate as well. Verdict: Though the trailer was brilliant & movie was exquisitely made, it still falls short of expectations as the story is rather weak. Another major drawback is the clima which turned out to be rather too melodramatic & over the top. In short, it is likely to struggle at the box office but I would still suggest to check it out!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

The Ghazi Attack2017

Ever since partition, our nation have constantly seen unrest at its borders as Pakistan never lost an opportunity to needle us. This has led to four fledged battles with them in 1947, 1965, 1971 & 1999; & even though we faced serious casualties, our brave soldiers ensured that we could still feel safe within our country. The war of 1971 was unique in the sense that it wasn't fought over the Kashmir issue but due to the differences between East & West Pakistan, which eventually led to the formation of Bangladesh. One of the contributing factors for India being part of that war was the sinking of Pakistani submarine, PNS Ghazi off the east coast by INS Rajput. So this week we have Sankalp Reddy's "The Ghazi Attack" hitting the screens which is inspired from that event & hopefully it will be able to give us a gripping account as to what must have happened on that day. The year is 1971 & India was keeping a close watch on Pakistan who was flexing their muscles on its brothers in East Pakistan, who was fighting for liberation. In order to send supplies to its forces, Pakistan decides to use the sea route but in order to do so they had to negate the threat posted by INS Vikrant. The task is entrusted to Commander Razaq (Rahul Singh) & his crew of PNS Ghazi. Indian Intelligence gets wind of it & the Eastern Naval Command at Vishakhapatnam assign S21 under the leadership of Captain Rannvijay Singh to patrol the region. As Rannvijay is known for his impulsive, hot headed nature, Lt Commander Arjun Varma (Rana Daggubati) is also accorded equal responsibilities to ensure orders are followed as per the book. This naturally causes sparks to fly between the two as Executive Officer, Devraj (Atul Kulkarni) plays peace broker. In due time, S21 locates Ghazi but how they went about their task with two contrast characters at the helm forms the crux of the movie. Scripted & directed by debutant Sankalp Reddy, "The Ghazi Attack" is the first submarine war movie that has been made in our country. With regard to the story, it was mentioned in the credits itself that it is a fictional creation of an incident that has been shrouded by mystery. Whatever might be the case, the story is brilliantly conveyed & executed as well. The tension is palpable & provides an edge of the seat experience for the audience in majority of the sequences in the second half. Though I found the patriotic fervour a bit too overpowering & artificial in the end, it had all the other emotions in apt measure & the director made sure that he didnt squeeze in any romantic angle or song-dance sequence into the proceedings. The interiors of the submarine were well depicted but the special effects & Madhi's visuals could have been better. Rana Daggubati has acted in a mature & restrained manner which was apt for the character. Kay Kay Menon was excellent as the impulsive Captain who didnt care a shit about orders. Atul Kulkarni also deserves praise for a convincing performance while the rest of the cast seemed adequate. The reason for including Taapsee defies logic as she had nothing to do apart from look shell shocked in the doorways. Verdict: Having seen movies like "Crimson Tide", "K21", etc, this one would feel amateurish at times, but it is absolutely unfair to make such a comparison due to the disparity in production costs. However, on saying that Sankalp succeeds in making a movie which is both engrossing & interesting. It might not take the box-office by storm but it's definitely worth checking out. In short, dont miss it!!! Rating: 3/5 Regards...Ben

Jolly LLB 22017

Bollywood got off to a good start this year as "Raees" racked in the moolah to continue the money spinning spree started by "Dangal". In the words of Annu Kapoor, this month we have "the most most saleable, commercially viable superstar" Akshay Kumar coming out with his first release of the year "Jolly LLB 2". It is the sequel of the 2013 sleeper hit, "Jolly LLB" & Fox Studios would be hoping that this would perform better than its predecessor. So will it be able to satiate the audience like the prequel??? Jagdishwar Mishra aka Jolly (Akki) is a struggling lawyer who does manage to make ends meet with his street smart nature taking up petty cases & other endeavours. However, his desire to make it big in his profession didnt find the support of his boss, a reputed lawyer Rizvi (Ram Gopal Bajaj) for whom Jolly's father had also worked as a munshi. His desire to secure a chamber for himself makes him lie to Hina Siddiqui (Sayani Gupta), a pregnant lady who have been trying to convince Jolly's boss to take up her case. He convinces her that his boss had entrusted him with the responsibility & collects the fees for it. But she soon realises that she had been fooled & commits suicide, which wakens the conscience in Jolly. Can he bring justice to her husband who was murdered in a fake encounter masterminded by Inspector Suryaveer Singh (Kumud Mishra)??? It's been a couple of years since Subhash Kapoor made his presence felt who has impressive movies like "Phas Gaya Re Obama" & "Jolly LLB" to his credit. As in the case of most of his other movies, he has donned multiple caps here as well with the script & screenplay also of his creation. The dialogues were humorous & ironic which was interspersed with unpleasant hard hitting facts. Just as in the prequel, the court scenes were interesting & hilarious but there were portions which lagged due to inconsistencies in the script & unnecessary placement of songs . On the brighter side, the subtle detailing given to Jolly's wife (though she doesnt have much to do), the Kashmir politics, fake encounters etc deserves praise. Kamal Jeet's visuals were fine along with the art direction. But the music was mediocre while Chandrashekhar's editing could have been sharper. It must have been Akki's movie, but the one that actually steals the show is Saurabh Shukla who was brilliant as the Judge. Akshay was fantastic & essays the protagonist convincingly making sure that the character is grounded without a starry air to it. Annu Kapoor is also in fine form while Kumud Mishra didnt have much scope to perform. The same applies to the female leads as well such as Huma Qureshi & Sayani Gupta. Verdict: It was completed in just over a month which is quite unheard of as far as Bollywood movies of superstars are concerned. Since it was made on a budget of just 30 C, it should make bumper returns & the initial box office reports also seems to be pointing towards that. It might not be exactly top notch but inspite of that it has adequate substance to entertain the audience. In short, check it out!!! Rating; 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Raees2017

January is almost over & we have the first major releases of the year in "Raees" & "Kaabil" on the eve of the 68th Republic day. Since I was busy with my work commitments, I thought to watch them over the weekend after all both the trailers seemed to give the impression that it was worth watching. With the FEDAL match set to commence in less than 6 h, I decided to first check out SRK's "Raees" which has been in the news for quite some time be it for the Pakistani actress or the clashing of the movie with "Kaabil" which was frowned down upon by Rakesh Roshan. Anywaz it has hit the screens now & it remains to be seen whether it will be able to challenge the undisputed run of "Dangal"??? The film unfolds in Fatehpura in the 70s where Raees (Shubham Chintamani) his buddy, Sadiq (Shubham Tukaram) in their school years also doubled up as carriers for the local bootlegger. They later on join the gang of Jairaj (Atul Kulkarni), who was the kingpin in this business. With time, Raees (SRK) in Jairaj's words due to his "baniya ka dimag aur Miya bhai ka daring" becomes the trusted lieutenant of his boss. But Raees's dream to set up his own empire makes him loggerheads with Jairaj & Co. All their efforts to stop Raees fails, but a bigger threat for all of them was Jaideep Majmudar (Nawazuddin Siddiqui), an honest police officer who was hell bent to wipe out the illicit alcohol business in Gujarat. Will Jaideep prove to be nemesis of Raees??? Rahul Dholakia's credentials as a director needs no introduction as he was awarded the National award for "Parzania" in 2002 which was based on the Gujarat communal riots. His previous outing "Lamhaa" didnt make much stir at the box office; there are huge expectations from "Raees" after all it is a SRK movie. Even though Rahul & his team who had penned the script claim the characters to be fictional, there is no doubt that the protagonist is inspired from Abdul Latif, the king of illegal alcohol business in Gujarat. The first half is absorbing as SRK rocks the screen with his negative character shades. However post-interval, the character is mellowed down & made to play to the galleries showcasing him as a gangster with a heart of gold. In the technical department, there were some fantastic dialogues while K U Mohanan visuals deserve praise. The VFX effects weren't exactly top notch & the action sequences could have been choreographed better. Ram Sampath's music was ok with "Zaalima" rendered by Arijit Singh & Harshdeep Kaur being the stand out one while Deepa Bhatia ought to have done a better job with the editing in the latter half. Shahrukh rocked as the protagonist & carries the movie with his charisma whenever the screenplay faltered. His scenes with Nawazuddin were the best ones in the movie & the latter was brilliant as the police officer. Mahira Khan has done a very average job & her chemistry with SRK wasnt upto the mark. It was a role which could have been much better performed by any of our leading Bollywood ladies. Zeeshan Ayyub has done justice to his role while Narendra Jha & Atul Kulkarni were fine as well. Verdict: "Raees" is creating waves at the box office as expected as it has collected close to 60C in the domestic market in just 3 days. It's been a while since SRK had a blockbuster & from the looks of it, this is likely to do just that. There is no doubt that the fans will love the movie while the rest can be assured that it is worth a one time watch provided you dont expect anything out of the ordinary, In short, you can give it a try!!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben

Dangal2016

Christmas eve is upon us & what better way to celebrate it than being with our loved ones. As it is the season of giving, let each one of us do our bit to spread the message of love & brotherhood. Apart from the customary X'mas goodies, namely cakes, wine & spicy non-vegetarian dishes (started salivating??? well I did); it's bonanza time for movie buffs as all film industries will have some major release or the other. The biggest release this year is undoubtedly, Aamir Khan's "Dangal", whose trailer was fantastic which has taken the expectations through the roof. So will Aamir who usually turns up as Santa bring smiles to the audience & makers alike with yet another blockbuster??? An Aamir Khan movie is a huge occasion in itself due to his sporadic releases which always lives upto expectations. Due to this, the media scrutiny is immense courtesy of which many of you would already be having an idea that this movie is the biographical depiction of former National wrestling Champion Mahavir Singh Phogat (Aamir Khan) who trained both his daughters, Geeta (Fatima Sana (older) & Zaira Wasim) & Babita (Sanya Malhotra (older) & Suhani Bhatnagar) to become Commonwealth Champions. Mahavir had to give up wrestling in his prime to support his family but always harboured hopes that he would live his dream through his unborn son. But as fate would have it, he was blessed with only daughters. As wrestling was predominantly a male dominated sport, Mahavir presumed his dream would remain a dream until he decides to train his daughters. How Mahavir makes his dream into reality against all odds forms the crux of the movie. It was much tougher than one could expect since the mindset of the Haryanvi community which has one of the worst child sex ratios is that the girl child is not entitled to do anything apart from household chores. The idea to this story came from Divya Rao who was part of Disney's creative team & which was then subsequently properly fleshed out by Nitesh Tiwari, Piyush Gupta, Shreyas Jain & Nikhil Mehrotra. Nitesh Tiwari was given the responsibility of direction, which happened to be his third venture after "Chillar Party" & "Bhoothnath Returns". The screenplay is brilliant which was equally well picturised by Nitesh as it keeps the audience hooked to the movie. The first half is top notch as it is a proper concoction of humour, emotions, action & drama. Even the latter half is good though mid way through it gets a tad too repetitive with the wrestling sequences but the gripping conflict between father-daughter & goosebump evoking climax more than makes up for the lag. All the wrestling matches were brilliantly choreographed by Kripashankar Bishnoi & even people who had no idea about this sport would be adequately educated by the time they finish watching. So much so, I wont be surprised if more people would be interested to follow this sport the next time it is shown on TV. Pritam's BGM has helped the movie immensely & even his music was in sync with the mood especially the title track rendered by Daler Mehendi which will become a rage & the "Haanikarak Baapu" song. Sethu Sriram has done a fine job with the visuals while Ballu Saluja's editing was crisp. Even before I talk about Aamir Khan, I feel it is only right that I mention about the girls who were absolutely brilliant. Each one of them have done their parts exceptionally with Zaira Wasim (younger Geeta) being my personal favourite. It's hard to believe that it is the debut venture of all of them & each one of them apart from their acting have done their wrestling sequences unbelievably well. Since it is more focused on Fathima Sana, she deserves a special mention. Now what do I say about Aamir? he knows how to choose scripts & once he takes up a project, he gives his 100% to the role which is there for all to see. His physical transformation for the movie was awe evoking & the way he has enacted his part as a middle aged father was fantastic, taking care that he didnt overshadow the others & kept his stardom in check. Kudos to Nitesh & Aamir for that. Sakshi Talwar was a surprising choice as Aamir's wife but she proved as to why she is a much sought after artist in the silver screen. She might not have much dialogues as her expressions conveys volumes. Aparshakti Khurana & Ritvik Sahore both of whom essayed the role of Mahavir's nephew also deserves special mention as he provides the comic relief to the movie. Verdict: The movie will take the box-office by storm & will break all records set by "Sultan". Frankly speaking, I feel this is one of Aamir's best performance to date if not the very best. Actually, it might seem like a tall ask but I have a feeling that it will usurp "PK" as the biggest blockbuster of all time. In short, it has all the ingredients that one could ask for & though I might sound a bit biased being a sports drama; I would suggest that you guys got to definitely watch it!!! Rating: 4.5/5 Regards...Ben

Befikre2016

If one takes up the list of the biggest blockbusters in Bollywood, then one name which will figure prominently in the top is "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge". So much so, it is still running in Maratha Mandir for close to 1100 weeks. Now the man behind this timeless romance saga which established SRK as the King of Romance is Aditya Chopra. The reclusive director & chairman of Yash Raj films, have done just 3 films in the past two decades, all of which had raked in the moolah. So when Adi announced his latest venture "Befikre", the expectations were pretty high which seemed justified after all the songs & trailers had captured innumerable number of eyeballs. So can Adi be befekir as to whether this matches his previous releases??? Dharam (Ranver Singh) is a quintessential Delhi guy who had moved over to Paris to work in his buddy's club as a stand up comedian. He meets up with Shyra (Vani Kapoor), who was brought up in France after her parents had migrated into the country as chefs. The duo hit off famously with their no holds barred attitude as neither of them were keen on a commitment. In due time, they break up but continued to remain friends which is when they started to realize the importance of the other. Though both of them get into other relationships, it didnt quite have the same vibe that the two shared. But will they risk getting back together & if so, is it possible??? Aditya's credentials as a film maker is well documented, so I guess there is no point in harping about it. But the question is, was he able to regain his touch after such a long hiatus??? The answer is an emphatic No, as his script neither offers anything new that we haven't seen nor does the treatment engrosses us. It seemed like the mish mash of several movies that we had seen over the years & true to Yash Raj movies, it is shot in beautiful locales with the characters making constant references to their desi roots, All the technical aspects deserves browny points be it the visuals which were exquisite thanks to Kaname Onoyama or the smashing choreography by Vaibhavi Merchant. Vishal Shekhar's music was foot thumping stuff along with Mikey McCleary's BGM which was in sync with the mood of the movie. In one of the recent interviews, Adi had mentioned that he had written the script keeping Ranveer in mind & wouldnt have made the movie if the latter had refused. Anywaz I have to admit that Ranveer was an apt choice for the character as his unbridled energy & crazy attitude which even goes to the extent of showing his bare ass, carries the movie inspite of the weak script. Vani Kapoor who was last seen on the big screen more than four years back in "Shhudh Desi Romance" was full of spunk & fire. However even though the two indulge in a kissing spree & makes out with gay abandon, they just didnt have any smoking chemistry between them. As for the rest of the cast, though they didnt have much to do all of them have done a decent job. Verdict: The catchy trailer & brand value of Adi, will ensure a commendable opening in the multiplex. But with the script so mediocre & hardly anything happening, apart from the innumerable kisses, the number of footfalls will drastically decrease in the coming days. In short, watch the thrilling Mumbai Test match befikre but not this movie!!! Rating: 1.75/5 Regards...Ben

Kahaani 22016

Seems like the season of sequels hasn't ended as we had yet another one hitting the screens this weekend. Incidentally, it happened to be "Kahaani 2", the prequel of which had impressed both the critics & audience alike. Apart from a couple of guest appearances, it's been more than a year since Vidya Balan had graced the screens & since she will be playing the protagonist again, the expectations are sky high. So will the sequel be able to rise above or atleast equal the benchmark set by "Kahaani"??? As in the prequel, the story unfolds in Kolkata where Vidya Sinha (Vidya Balan) is a single parent to her handicapped daughter, Mini (Tunisha Sharma). Life moved along peacefully for the two, until Mini gets kidnapped & Vidya frantically goes in search of her after a call from the kidnapper. However, she meets with an accident & slips into a coma. Sub Inspector Indrajeet Singh (Arjun Rampal) is called in to investigate the case & is stumped by the fact that she looks like Durga Rani, a wanted criminal. So was it the same person or a dopple ganger & will Vidya wake up from her coma before it is too late??? Sujoy Ghosh who had thrilled the audience four years back with "Kahaani" is back on the director's seat for the sequel. In between he had directed the Radhika Apte starrer "Ahalya", a short film which had wowed the audience with its thrilling script. In his latest venture as well, he has penned the script which takes up the disturbingly relevant topic of "child abuse", that very few Bollywood movies has explored. Armed with a credible thread, Sujoy executes the first half of the movie excellently as it captures the attention of the audience & steadily builds towards an even more riveting latter half. Unfortunately that's not what happens as the central theme gets sidelined & the movie culminates towards a predictable climax. The emotional trauma that the victim(s) goes through is barely touched upon & it is eventually turned into an attempt by Vidya to save her daughter in a rather passive manner unlike the prequel where she takes it upon herself to wreck havoc on her enemies. Tapan Basu has done a commendable job with the picturisation while Clinton Cereja's music blends with the movie. Vidya Balan has rocked as the protagonist & plays both the parts with conviction though I cant help saying that the script couldnt do justice to her caliber. I would have to admit that I was pleasantly with Arjun Rampal's performance as he has done his part pretty well & is provided adequate screen space to showcase his skills. Jugal Hansraj has been in the wilderness for quite a while & makes a comeback with a decent performance, though he was reduced to a mundane villain in the climax. As for the rest, Kharaj Mukherjee, Tota Roy Chowdhury, Tunisha Sharma etc have done their parts adequately. Verdict: The film will surely have a decent opening thanks to the response that the prequel had garnered. However, if the prequel had the word of mouth going in its favour in the subsequent weeks; that is unlikely to happen here which means the initial collections will be better but in the long run it will lag behind. The film had met the expectations in the first half, but in the latter half it spirals down to an ordinary thriller. In short, if you watch it without keeping the prequel as the benchmark, then you wont be disappointed!!! Rating: 2.75/5 Regards...Ben

Dear Zindagi2016

After a plethora of sequels in the past couple of weeks which more or less bordered on mediocrity (except for maybe "Force 2"), we finally have one which promises to keep the audience entertained. It happens to be Gauri Shinde's "Dear Zindagi" which has SRK & Alia Bhatt in the lead. They were the first guests in this season of "Koffee With Karan" (who is also one of the producers) & from the lively vibe they shared, they would have dazzled in the movie as well. The promos has been quite catchy & the same applies to the songs as well which has become chart busters. So did it live upto expectations??? Kiara (Alia Bhatt) is a talented upcoming cinematographer, who was on the lookout for a big break which would elevate her to the elite league. Even though her career was on the rise, her personal life seemed to be in turmoil as she was emotionally insecure. Kiara shared a rather cold relationship with her parents & also feared commitment calls which invariably meant she ended up hurting the guys with whom she was romantically linked. After one such breakup, Kiara headed back to her parents in Goa hoping that a change in environment will help to calm her nerves. But she found it hard to handle it by herself & sought the help of a psychiatrist, Dr Jehangir Khan aka Jug (SRK). How he helps her out & makes her embrace life is what the movie is about. Gauri Shinde is a person who doesnt need much of an introduction even though she just has one movie to her credit which incidentally happened to be the commercially & critically acclaimed "English Vinglish". Just as in her previous venture, this time too she has taken up the responsibility of penning the script & screenplay. One of the emphatic message in "English Vinglish" was that children need to be more understanding about their parents shortcomings while over here, parents has to understand that their presence is essential for their children in their formative years. However, it doesnt quite impress in the same manner as this seemed to be kinda superficial & didnt make us feel invested in the story. But there are quite a couple of sequences which were brilliant be it the one where Alia vents out her anger & frustrations at her family or the climax sequence where she breaks down in front of SRK. Laxman Utekar deserves praise for his impressive frames & the same applies to Amit Trivedi for his music which was quite endearing. A couple of days back, I happened to read an article in NDTV which said Anil Kapoor expressed confidence that if the awards weren't rigged then his daughter Sonam will sweep the best actress awards for her role in "Neerja. Well to be frank, I doubt anyone else stands a chance apart from Alia who was brilliant in "Udta Punjab" & has given a thumping performance here as well. It was a difficult character to portray coz of the various shades, but she has done it skillfully without overdoing it. Inspite of playing second fiddle to her character, SRK has done a fantastic job as he lighted up the screen with his charisma. Almost all of the supporting cast has done a fine job such as Ira Dubey, Yashaswini Dayama, Kunal Kapoor etc. Verdict: From the promos itself, it's kinda evident that it is a type of movie which caters to the multiplex audience. But even for them as well, the lack of an engaging script will prove to be its downfall. In short, many would find the therapy sessions repetitive & would yearn for the exit but it is still worth a watch for Alia & SRK!!! Rating: 2.5/5 Regards...Ben