All Bakwaas!

Let me start with the postives:
The movie is really good in conveying the whole sense of the locality. The people there and the events and dialogues going around are so real that I could immediately relate to them. The director succeeds in portraying the class/caste divisions, the superstitions as well as the unity in the society.
The movie puts across a quite convincingly a message of religious unity and the petty-mindedness of the politicians. As one of my friend said we should have more movies of such message to keep reminding the people about the futility of religious clashes.
The dialogues are quite good and at times even touching.

Now for the negatives:
The ending of the film sucks!....BIG TIME!

The director fails to use the songs well in the movie.

He uses Sonam Kapoor very little in the movie.

The first half of the movie is all bits and pieces and almost unrelated scenes with no continuity. May be thats the what the director wanted but I didn't like it.

and, Abhishek Bachchan can't do sentimental scenes!

I can't think of anything about the movie now...its 2:15am here, time to sleep!

Overall I would give a 50-50 for the movie. Just ok (thats a tired ok!)

Awaazbandh Rating-**

One Line Review- Watch the TV,it's better these days in times of recession!

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Movie Name : Billu
Star Cast : Shahrukh Khan,Irrfan Khan,Lara Dutta,Kareena Kapoor,Priyanka Chopra,Deepika Padukone,Asrani,Om Puri,Rajpal Yadav
Director : Priyadarshan
Music Director : Pritam Chakraborty

Priyadarshan is synonymous with ha-ha-thons, but the talented storyteller has been equally proficient while handling intense dramas like SAZA-E-KALA PANI, GARDISH and VIRASAT. Like VIRASAT and MALAMAAL WEEKLY, BILLU, the accomplished director’s new outing, is also set in a hamlet.

Although the story has been attempted in Malayalam [KADHA PARAYUMBOL] and Tamil [KUSELAN] earlier, the story actually takes its inspiration from the legendary friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama. In this case, the story talks of the friendship between a superstar and an ordinary mortal who runs a salon.

BILLU is a simple story about simple people, told in the most simplistic manner. There’s a generous dose of glamour as well, given the fact that the protagonist’s friend happens to be a superstar, but what actually works for the film is the simpleton’s story. He wages a daily battle to make ends meet.

Although the film is engaging, Priyadarshan reserves the best for the finale this time, when the superstar reminisces about his childhood friend and the deep bond that they shared. The end is remarkable and is sure to strike a chord with all sections of moviegoers.

Final word? BILLU is amongst Priyadarshan’s finest works. And also Irrfan and SRK’s. This tale of friendship is sure to steal your heart!

BILLU tells the story of a simple ordinary man, Bilas Rao Pardesi [Irrfan Khan], living in a small town with his wife Bindiya [Lara Dutta] and two kids. His life undergoes a drastic change as superstar Sahir Khan [Shah Rukh Khan] visits the village for a film shoot. Everything changes. Things go from good to bad to worse to good again.

Ten minutes into the film and you get absorbed into Billu’s small world. The salon is in bad shape, the family is facing tough times, the neighbours and acquaintances are fair-weather friends… Billu’s life gets grim with each passing day.

The story takes an interesting turn when Billu’s life collides with the superstar’s. And the assorted characters right from an aspiring poet/lyricist [Rajpal Yadav], to a stingy money lender [Om Puri], to the principal of the school [Rasika Joshi] — everyone wants favours from Billu. These characters only make BILLU more interesting.

SRK’s track is equally fascinating and only spices up the proceedings. In fact, Priyadarshan has amalgamated the three songs [featuring SRK with Deepika, Priyanka and Kareena] in the narrative smartly. Not once do you feel that you’re watching two stories concurrently.

The best part of the enterprise is its climax. The superstar recalls his humble beginning and how his friend stood by him in times of crisis. The writing is brilliant and SRK only takes the scene to greater heights with his terrific portrayal.

Priyadarshan is adept at handling relationships and with BILLU, he proves he can handle emotions with as much flourish as comedy. To tell a simple, uncomplicated story, without the usual frills, is an arduous task indeed and Priyadarshan tackles the material with remarkable ease. The humour here is subtle, not loud, and a constant smile remains on your face all through.

Mushtaq Shiekh and Priyadarshan’s screenplay is foolproof. In fact, the writing never loses focus and the highs and the lows in Billu’s life are sensitively penned by the duo. Manisha Korde’s dialogues are simple, gelling with the mood of the film.

Pritam’s music is energetic. The songs, promoted aggressively prior to the release, only get an impetus thanks to the presence of the three actresses. ‘Mar Jaani’ and ‘Love Mera Hit Hit’ are, of course, the pick of the lot. V. Manikandan’s cinematography is top notch. The locales [Pollachi] are breath-taking.

In the recent years, Irrfan has emerged as a force to reckon with, his performances have appealed to all strata of moviegoers and his work in BILLU will only cement his status as a remarkable actor. Shah Rukh Khan needs to be admired for two reasons. The show belongs to Irrfan, although SRK could’ve forced himself in every scene. Also, he has chosen to opt for a film that’s not one of those run-of-the-mill types. In terms of performance, SRK shows his true potential towards the finale.

Lara Dutta springs a pleasant surprise. She goes through her part with complete understanding. Om Puri is excellent. Rasika Joshi is too good. Rajpal Yadav is really funny in the penultimate scene, when he recites a film song of an SRK film. Asrani and Manoj Joshi are passable.

On the whole, BILLU is a sweet-n-simple film that lingers in your memory even after the show has concluded. The final 20 minutes are the highpoint of the enterprise and that elevates the status of the film to great heights. The film has the potential to grow with a strong word of mouth. Recommended… Take your family for this one!

Rating-****
One line review-It's really simple catch it!


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Slumdog and a millionaire, the two contrary words come into play in Danny Boyle’s thought on the life of an orphan from slums who makes it big into the “Who wants to be a millionaire”. Money isn’t his main motive but what was it he was lasting for?

Jamal is just a question behind to be the winner of the huge sum of Rs. 20 Million in the Indian version of “Who wants to be a millionaire” (Kaun Banega Crorepati). Life takes a fatal turn when he is dragged up in the police custody where he is interrogated as he is accused of cheating to win the game. The rude cops (Irrfan Khan and Sourabh Shukla) are bent on extracting the truth from him, whether they use electric shocks or the kicks and punches to get him. As he patiently answers each and every question again, the key moments of his life unfolds, which include Jamal and Salim’s (Madhur Mittal – elder brother of Jamal) plight and Jamal’s love interest Latika.

For, all the unfortunate Jamal has to share is an endless tale of woe. But what was his motive to get into the show, money making? No not that but his love interest Latika who liked the show very much and his reason was clear, he wanted to reach her.

Danny Boyle’s execution is simple and exuberant and takes the plight of a slum kid into the millionaire programme excellently. Loveleen Tandan’s co-direction gives the film an edge and helps the film maintain its Indianism in place. What makes Danny Boyle’s direction get an outstanding remark is his way of connecting us with the characters in the film.

Here is how my interest level was at various parts of the movie.

.....oooOOOOO

This is not just a movie meant for entertainment but it is an eye-opener and highlights the problems faced by the kids in the slum. The director takes you to the world of poverty and garbage where little kids fight their way to make a living. It exposes all the darkness spread around the poverty stricken sects in India i.e., children being dragged into begging and prostitution.

Some scenes like the middle Jamal explaining the history of Taj Mahal to foreign visitors are to be in your hearts long after you’ve seen the film.

Dev Patel as Jamal Malik did a good job and pulled his character well. Freida Pinto as Latika had a fare share of presence and did a nice job too. Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Tanay Hemant Chheda and Madhur Mittal are the actors who took the movie to new heights with their outstanding performances. Anil Kapoor as Prem Kumar, the host of the show justified his presence.

Overall, here’s a movie which has to be in the list for the best movie of the year 2008. As the year passes on, memories fade but this isn’t the movie which will fade out easily. Its strong narration and the social cause will be in your hearts forever.

Cheers to Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan for bringing up this magnificent film!





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Ghajini - Aamir's 'mementoes' to Bollywood

And at the end of this year, there's a bedazing blockbuster in Indian Box office. Here comes our maestro of perfection swaying on with a different genre from his previous ventures. Merely, producers wouldn't have considered Ghajini as an 'Empaling Speculation' for enormous reasons. Well, when you've South India's top-charting Director, Bollywood's superstar, Musical Maestro and versatile technicians teaming up, undoubtedly results are off grandeur. On the buttons, 'Ghajini' is so tremendous on all panoramas of narration and technical aspects. The film had raised had everyone's expectations across far-flung corners as Tamil and its Telugu dubbed version had walloping critical acclaims.

So, what's special about Aamir's Ghajini? Thank God! It isn't a copycat of Christopher Nolan's 'Memento' and carries more divergence from Tamil version in latter half. Well, even for those who had soundly watched Tamil version, they're gonna experience an enhanced spirit on emotions. Of course, tho' it's an action-packed thriller, emotions are boundless….

Perhaps, Murugadoss's gripping motif, script and polished screenplay shores on corking grounds with Aamir's more have-to doe with on all vistas. Fine! Let's pretermit Direction and Music, just pick out editing… Mr. Perfectionist's touch is more revealing on Antony's editing. It's more illustrious with each and every cut in 'Bekha'.

Tales centering on amnesias aren't something new in Bollywood, but a unique of its type 'Short Term Memory Loss – An individual losing out his memory for every 15mins' surmounted everyone's expectations. And what else? Aamir's eight-packs had its turn of grabbing everyone's outlooks prior to film's release.

The film isn't as complicated as Memento. Ghajini is a head-spinning venture of Sanjay Sanghania (Aamir Khan) who has determined to avenge for his girlfriend Kalpana's (Asin) death. Protagonist seeking revenge for his ladylove's death; its so clichéd, isn't? Nevertheless, his greatest stumbling block is that his memory loses every bit of details for every 15mins. And what doesn't get bleached from his deep memory is death of Kalpana and the name 'Ghajini' (Pradeep Rawat) who murdered her. Again, the biggest obstruction is that Sanjay doesn't remember antagonist's identity.

With a Polaroid camera, a cell phone in his hands and alarms beeping on every 15th minute, Sanjay has to tread settling his scores.

Screenplay is narrated on two separate chronicles; present life and flashback sequences of Sanjay. It's so gripping that you would ne'er feel restless or look at your watches throughout the complete show of 180mins. Except, 45mins of next-to-last sequences, there isn't any slight changes from original version and characterizations have been marvelously depicted.

'Wordlessly stupendous' – Aamir Khan or Mr. Perfectionist, whatever you like to call him, he is simply brilliant. Just note this down, unlike his previous flicks 'Rang De Basanthi', 'Fanaa' and 'Taare Zameen Par'; he has nothing do with dialogues. Perhaps, it's Asin, Jiah Khan and Pradeep Rawat who jump on uttering more words. For everyone, who were fond of this line 'Actions Speaks More than Words', you'll witness it with Aamir Khan. He emotes spectacularly with his facial expressions and gestures. For instances, watch him out in 'Bekha' where he spells the most minute expressions with brightness. While taking revenge, it's not the furiousness that's disclosed on his face, but the outburst of emotions for his lost love.

Of course, Asin deliver an over-the-top performance on every scene. She doesn't strain a lot but creates a deep impact on everyone with her role. She's got a great time here in Bollywood and she will rock with her well-brought-up show.

Don't expect a lot from Jiah Khan, if you were spellbound with her performance in 'Nishabd'. It's about doing justice to her role and her well-enhanced show is evident in penultimate scenes. She has to thank Murugadoss for depicting her so exquisitely.

Pradeep Rawat takes on with a decent role and his portrayal is as powerful as his characterization is so powerful than Aamir.

A.R. Murugadoss – He crowns each of his films with 'Success' and his debut directorial in Bollywood isn't an elision. With a trenchant script and screenplay, he reveals of a detailed work on every frame and shot. Working with Aamir Khan, should've made him fine-tuning his before-now version that yields his laurels from universal audiences. A hunky-dory of its kind, you'll witness a vivid groundwork put forth by the auteur, especially a fine-ending unlike Tamil version. As you out step out of theatres, it's all about good shades of protagonist arresting your senses and not about hero's act of vengeance filled with bloodsheds.

A.R. Rahman with his tranfixing tunes steals the show. In particular, as everyone starts heeding to Mandolin's interlude on 'Guzarish', its claps, hails and whistles. Scenarios persist with 'Bekha' and getting to watch Aamir's acts and 6 get-ups, it's an appreciably innovative. 'Kaisa Mujhe' is sure to remain along with these two numbers on the charts of evergreen tunes.

Ravi K Chandran's cinematography requires special mention. Don't miss his stylish shots on exotic locations of 'Guzarish'. A grand round of applause for Location Manager for zeroing down an unforeseen never-never land. Costumes are so convincing and it's so nice to see Asin on finest looks in 'Aye Bachu'.

A matured touch of 'cuts' by Antony brightens up visual quality. Be it exposing Aamir's physiques or catching up for the mood of 'fast running notes in Bekha', he deserves best credits.

The film has whole lot 'A-FACTORS' of Aamir, A.R. Murugadoss, A.R. Rahman and Allu Aravind. Naturally, it's A-ONE quality rendered on their roles.

On the whole, Ghajini ends this year with a great Dhamaka for all universal audiences. For those who watched this year's releases with tentative thoughts, can head for Ghajini to witness 'The best film of this year'. For sure, all Khans, Chopras and Kumars should be eyeing on Murugadoss now while rest of the cast-crew would witness a great new dawn in Bollywood for this New Year.

Verdict: Remember this – It's a blockbuster

Rating : ****




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This is a story about the journey of an 15 year old teenager who lives with his family in crowded lanes of Delhi and gradually adopts to the world of crime, clever enough to rob the houses of rich people living in Delhi and all about how cops of the city are desperate to catch him. One of the major plus points in this movie is his innovative style of stealing things (I think that some real thieves might have learned some new techniques of stealing things after watching this film).

Dibakar Banerjee who previously directed Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), has made a comeback in his own style. He did a splendid job while directing the film and left no stones unturned. Apart from direction all the departments of the film are trailing well above the mark of expectations.

Film features Abhay Deol (Lucky), Paresh Rawal (Lucky’s Father / Gogi Bhai / Dr. Handa), Neetu Chandra (Sonal), Archana Puran Singh (Mrs. Handa), Manu Rishi (Bangali), Richa Chadda (Dolly), Anurag Chadda (Devender Singh - Cop), Manjot Singh (Young Lucky) and Rajinder Sethi (Criminal).

Abhay Deol (Lucky), the main protagonist of the film plays the role of a thief named Lucky whose innovative style of robbing things makes him a millionaire and in turn attracts the attention of cops. His acting style has improved a lot and he was very much into the character. Overall, he did a great piece of acting.

Paresh Rawal (Luckys Father / Gogi Bhai / Dr. Handa), He is a great actor and one can always expect a healthy comedy from him. But in this film he played three roles of which the role of Lucky’s father stands apart. Three roles to one single person was not expected and sometimes made little confusion in the plot.

Neetu Chandra (Sonal), is the lead female protagonist. She played a different role and to be precise, just the opposite to the character of Lucky. She is principled in life and does not touch a penny which isn’t hard earned. She was able to make a mark in the limited time frame given to her.

Archana Puran Singh (Mrs. Handa), Ms. Over acting - the name says it all. She always over-reacted to all her scenes in the movie. I think the director has used her style keeping the requirement of the script. Even after such type of acting, the flow of the movie was hardly affected.

Manu Rishi (Bangali), childhood friend of Lucky. His style of dressing was somewhere similar to that of 1970’s. He is the actual masala maker of the film. He is the one who introduces Lucky to Gogi bhai (the buyer of steeled goods) and later becomes partner of a hotel with Mr. Handa.

Manjot Singh (Young Lucky), young Lucky the surprise package of comedy, his innocent style of asking questions, his innocent style of taking his first crush to a date and the type of relation that he maintained with his father during his childhood days requires a special mention here.

Rest of the characters include Anurag Chadda (Devender Singh - Cop) and Richa Chadda (Dolly) who have limited roles but they were used in such a way that in the absence of such characters, the movie might have lost its charm. The Haryanvi language used by cops was outstanding and worthy of an applause.

One the whole the movie has some really good and sensible comedy less obscenity. So everyone in your family can watch this without any hesitation. The movie makes such an impression that one cannot forget the scenes even days after watching the movie. These type of movies do not come regularly. The movie has its own stand and is much better than those madcap comedies which make fun of everything or rather what we call it as ‘Forced Comedy’. The publicity of this movie is limited and can bank only on its mouth talk. I don’t know how many of you might enjoy the movie. But I am sure people who are hailing from northern region especially from Delhi and Haryana will enjoy the most. I would like to give 3.5 out of 5 for this movie because there is still some scope of improvement in the music segment.

Rating-4/5



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Cast: Sharman Joshi, Chitrangada Singh, Sanjay Suri, Shabana Azmi, Boman Irani
Director: Onir
Producers: Vashu Bhagnani, Onir

T’S a brave new world that is bursting forth in Bollywood today. No longer is mainstream cinema solely dependent on star power and requires the presence of a larger-than-life actor to create an impact. On the contrary, with more and more star treks ending up as box office duds, the focus is now shifting to the smaller, more economical, completely dependable actors, who are redefining the Hindi film hero. Case in point: Irrfan Khan, Vinay Pathak, Ranveer Shorey, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rajat Kapoor.

Sorry Bhai is a delightful film that comes alive, solely on the power-packed performances of its parallel brigade: actors who live beyond the parameters of the traditional star system. More importantly, it marks the return of Chitrangada Singh, the actress who had taken a hiatus after her impressive debut act in Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi . And the actor doesn’t disappoint, being a complete natural before the camera.

It’s an unconventional story too which traces the growing attraction between a woman (Chitrangada) for her fiancee’s younger brother (Sharman Joshi), a few days before her wedding. She is all set to marry the ambitious, upwardly mobile stock broker, Sanjay Suri who invites his close-knit family to Mauritius for the marriage.

While dad Boman Irani and scientist bro, Sharman Joshi, are perfectly supportive of his sudden decision, mom Shabana Azmi is sceptical of the potential daughter-in-law and isn’t too eager to accept her in the family fold. Watch out for the bristling relationship between Shabana and Chitrangada: the highlight of the film, as it grows from simmering animosity to girlie bonding. The saas-bahu relationship never got more feisty and funny.

But a disconcerting mom-in-law isn’t the only problem the wannabe bride must counter. She must also contend with her growing attraction for the laid-back, scientist brother who has just two passions in life. He loves jazz and wants to make his wooden dog fly as part of his lifetime research on kinetic energy which declares that everything has life!

Quaint, specially when his family nonchalantly keeps posing the query: kutta uda kya? (did the dog fly?) Younger brother too can’t keep his eyes off his delectable bhabhi-to-be, even though he loves his elder brother and cannot dream of hurting him. Does this unconventional relationship actually have a future in a close-knit Indian family? Teasing stuff, indeed! But more than the story, it’s the performances that leave you chuckling.

The Sharman-Chitrangada-Sanjay trio plays out its tango for three with elan. But the scene-stealers are the older couple, Shabana Azmi and Boman Irani who charm you completely with their crackling chemistry and their natural act as urbane parents. Surely, with Honeymoon Travels and now Sorry Bhai , the duo might end up giving the younger screen couples a run for their money.


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After movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun, Hum Saath Saath Hai and Vivah [Images], Rajshree Production Ltd brings us yet another wedding story by the name Ek Vivaah Aisa Bhi. As with the earlier movies, this too is full of messages about family values and responsibilities towards the family.
The movie starts with Anuj (Vishal Malhotra) getting married and his sister Chandini's (Eesha Koppikar) flashback on how she met and fell in love with her boyfriend Prem (Sonu Sood). She was supposed to get engaged to Prem when her father (Alok Nath) passed away, putting the whole responsibility of looking after the family (which also comprise of another sister Sandhya) on her slim shoulders.

Left with no choice but to take care of her siblings, Chandini puts her marriage and singing career on hold. She ekes a living by giving singing lessons. Prem, in the meantime patiently waits for Chandini.
After 12 years of waiting endlessly, Anuj is finally ready to take responsibility of the household. However, he marries and leaves the house with his wife. Chandini resumes her singing lessons. By now Prem's mother is fed up with the long wait and request the lovers to go their separate ways. What happens next is better left to see on the screen.
Like all Rashree movies this film has three weddings and one engagement complete with half a dozen rites and rituals. There seems to be a lot of inconsistencies as well. For example, Prem is rich (he roams around in fancy cars and even owns a company), so he can easily help Chandini out. Instead he chose to wait while she struggles.
The first half is kind of slow (must be all those songs) though the pace picks up in the second half. Music here is not as catchy as in the previous Rashree outings.
Performance-wise, the entire cast has done a decent job. Not quite Vivah but romantics can still go for this one.

Rating-2/5


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Posters and promos don't make a film. And EMI just cemented this fact. For example, the posters of EMI feature Sanjay Dutt a lot. But the film? Well, read on.

Debutant director Saurabh Kabra's EMI begins with four characters -- a disc jockey (Arjun Rampal ), his high maintenance girlfriend (Malaika Arora Khan), a working couple (Ashish Chaudhary-Neha Uberoi), a retired person (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) and a widow (Urmila Matondkar).

Now what binds all these people together are loans that they have taken from All India Bank, which they haven't repaid yet. So for 45 minutes, we are introduced to these people and their money troubles. Still no sign of the so-called main protagonist Sattarbhai (Sanjay Dutt). So you sit through movie which fails to make much sense.

Sample this: How can these middle-class people repay their loans when they have no proper source of income? Agreed, banks can give loans to everyone and anyone (pre-US economic recession days), but still, these people who apply for these loans do know that they have to calculate how they will repay them, right? They just don't go on adding their loan liabilities until and unless they are sure of their respective repayment capacities.

The worse part of the film is the Urmila track. Though she knows her husband committed suicide, she still wants the police to lodge an FIR of mder as that would make her eligible for the Rs new2 crore insurance money.

When she fails with the police, she goes to a goon in the so-called downtown area of Bhendi Bazaar and strikes a deal with him. The deal? He will prove to the police that her husband was indeed murdered! The deal doesn't come cheap, though. To pay the goon, the widow takes a personal loan of Rs 10 lakh. Now, how can a widow without any means of income or assets be eligible for loan of Rs 10 lakh?
By the time Sattarbhai enters, you are left wondering whether you still want to watch this film. Still, for those who stayed back, Sanjay Dutt does his bit as the head of a loan recovery agency.

He roams around with a bunch of cronies, one of them named Mumbai Central, (Snehal Dabi known for his role Chander in Satya ) who are quite entertaining.

Dutt is equally entertaining. Watch him as he romances Urmila in the romantic song, Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein. Not bad for an actor touching 50. Overall, though, this Sattarbhai is nowhere close to Munnabhai .

The rest of the cast, except for Arjun, are all wasted.

Rating-2/5
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After a series of disasters, Samir Karnik arrives with a freshly baked patriotic film ‘Heroes’ which guarantees a new frame of reference to the patriotism topic.

Ali Shah (Vatsal Seth) and Sameer (Sohail Khan) are two typical urban youngsters pursuing their graduation in a film school. With their extremely low attendance and grades, they are given a last chance to be graduates and that is to make a documentary film. They decide to make a film ‘Why not to join Bharat Army’ and goes on the journey to deliver three letters written by the martyrs during their last moments in the Kargil war. The rest follows how this journey changes their perception about army.

The film has three episodes depicting how the family reacts on someone from their family joins the army. The episodes are of Balkar Singh (Salman Khan) in Punjab, Dhananjay Shergill (Bobby Deol) in Himachal Pradesh and Sahil Naqvi (Dino Morea) in Leh.

The first two episodes are dealt excellently but Samir Karnik loses on the later part of the Shergill episode and the Sahil Naqvi episode entirely. The movie proceeds like a snail in the second half leaving you with yawns.

Both Salman Khan (Balkar Singh) and Preity Zinta (Kuljeet Kaur) did a wonderful job in presenting the first episode. Sunny Deol as Vikram (brother of Dhananjay) was perfect. Sunny’s fight scene didn’t make an impact but is surely a treat for his fans. Mithun Chakraborty as Dr. Naqvi had a weak episode in hand but he made his best efforts to save this dead-slow episode. Amrita Arora and Riya Sen were hardly seen. Dino Morea and Bobby deol were good in their respective roles. Sohail Khan as Sameer alias Saand was perfect and his comic timings is getting good day by day. Vatsal Seth as Ali alias Nawaab Saab suits the role well.

The days have gone when unknown faces were left without even commenting on their performances. Take any movie right from south Indian to our very own bollywood unknown faces make their work noticeable and we simply can’t avoid commenting on them. Heroes too boast a set of deserving unknown faces.

Director, Samir Karnik did a commendable job. His earlier films surely questioned his potential but this clears the air that he isn’t a bad director. He takes you into the world of the families and delivers what it should with ease. But he totally missed out on the second half with several draggy scenes.

Music by Sajid-Wajid and Monty Sharma is just passable. On the other hand, background score was brilliant and suits the stature of the film. Cinematography by Binod Pradhan and Gopal Shah is top notch with larger than life shots. Editing is adequate.

Samir Karnik has selected a brilliant topic i.e., patriotism. If dealt well patriotism subject can easily attract people and fill producers’ pockets. He had surely put a lot of effort in making this film and he should surely be given many such chances. He has the potential to extract what he really wants from his cast and crew.

At the end of day, Heroes is an honest attempt towards patriotism. This movie would’ve been a milestone in Samir Karnik’s career only if he had handled the second half as neatly as he did with the first half. Go watch this if you have love for patriotic films and can face snail-like second half

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Golmaal Returns review with complete story and synopsis

Golmaal Returns, the much-awaited follow-up to the uproariously comical smash-hit Golmaal, arrives with a renewed star power, chartbusting music and more laughter than ever before!

The story is FULL BOLLYWOODISH STYLE and thus hilarious! The director has made it a point to make the cons work as pros in this film and it works wonderfully.We miss Sharman a lot but others make up for him.The entire cast has been rechristened to add glamour after a successful prequel.

Gopal (Ajay Devgan), who lives with his wife Ekta (Kareena Kapoor), sister Esha (Amrita Arora) and a dumb brother-in-law Lucky (Tusshar Kapoor), gets stuck in a yacht after saving an attractive woman Meera (Celina Jaitley) from some goons.

Both end up spending the night on the yacht and when he comes home the next day, his painfully suspicious wife who is also a hardcore fan of the saas-bahu serials, smell fish.

Gopal knows it’s going to be hard to quell her suspicion so he concocts a cock-and-bull story about having stayed the night with a fictitious friend called Anthony Gonsalves. Ekta refuses to buy his yarn and writes to Anthony (on a fictitious address given to her by Gopal) asking him to visit her.

Gopal convinces his junior at work, Laxman (Shreyas Talpade) to pretend to be Anthony. Everything goes according to plan till the address to which Ekta had written to Anthony turns out to be real!

If that isn’t complication enough for Gopal, a dead body is discovered at the location where he had saved Meera. The Investigating Officer, Madhav (Arshad Warsi), who is Esha’s boyfriend and also who cannot stand the sight of Gopal, learns that the latter had been missing from home that eventful night and begins checking on him.

Madhav’s investigation results in hilarious chaos and tricky situations where a new lie must be invented at every instance to conceal the previous lie!

The misadventures of the seven characters result in a non-stop joyride, evoking laughter and culminating in a sweet but surprising climax to the biggest comedy title of 2008.

Overall the movie does good with screenplay but the tale lags in between where the laughter just doesn't hit! Ajay is the surprise performer in Golmaal Returns while Kareena the sexiest with Celina adding the booze.The movie is well directed and one of those rare sequels where tradition of hits is followed!
Only if this movie released earlier!

Awaazbandh Rating-4/5 (Excellent)

One line review-Watch out for this as this movie is to break recession of hits in Bollywood!
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How would it feel if Shahrukh Khan did Shakti Kapoor?
Does the idea suit you? Nor does it in Karz when Himesh does Rushi Kapoor.The movie is a total disaster with parts being excellent completely overshadowed and dominated by more extravagantly bad parts.The twist as publicised is completely nothing and the audiences don't even understand where it went! Urmila is too old to act it seems and her yet curvy body does her no good.The new actress Shweta Kumar is OK-Ok and suits better to horror genre until you find green eyes sexy! The last thing about the movie is Himesh.He acted so so so much well in Aap Ka Suroor than in Karzzzz.He continuously throws his shoulders,shudders and possesses that fake smile.We all know that he is not an actor and he himself has said that we cannot compare him to Rushiji but when you do a Rushi comparison's are bound to happen.The plot is same as original Karz when Kamini kills Ravi Verma and reincarnation of Ravi Verma takes revenge.
The story goes as below-
Ravi Verma(Dino Morea-Acted brilliantly in terms of movie) is super rich man and Kamini(Urmila) is his love in Kenya.They marry and Kamini kills Ravi in a fake plane crash.Now Ravi's mother and sister become orphaned as Kamini takes over property and estate of Ravi Verma.Here 25yrs later Ravi Verma is born again as Monty the superstar(Himesh) and somehow gets to Kamini and kills her in a specialised act.Monty actually loves Tina(Shweta) and she is the string which attaches Ravi to Kamini.

The movie as I said is great in parts but this is a complete FAILURE of director.Sameer has done a great job and so has Himesh in music.The songs are soul of this movie and they look and sound good too!Overall Danny and Dino Morea are the best actors in the movie while Urmila ends up worst with Himesh closely following.The movie becomes FUNNY in second half as the speed is slow and direction POOR.I wonder how a big budget film like this had Satish Kaushik as a director! Funny comments are bound to come as the movie drags itself to the storyline.Stay away from theatre's unless you are a Himesh Fan!

Rating-2/5 (Completely for songs)

One line review-Excellent songs,beautiful nature and locations,average and overage actors,bad story and worst direction!




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Mission Istanbul is a movie that lacks all logic and is a sheer disappointment. It does not go the thrill way, there is no espionage drama, focusing on execution of terrorist operations. It does not even go the emotional way, into the psyche of the news reporter who is the protagonist of the movie. In fact, the movie goes nowhere and looks like a B grade movie with the backdrop as Istanbul.Story of Mission Istanbul:


The excuse of a hero Vikas Sagar(Zayed Khan) who is supposed to be one of the best journos in India accepts a 3 month assignment from Al-Johara, a controversial Istanbul based news channel. At about the same time, Vikas is about to divorce his news caster wife Anjali (Shreya Saran). In Istanbul, Vikas meets Oswais Shah(Suniel Shetty) the head of the news channel and Ghazni(Nikitan Dheer), the boss of Al-johara channel.


Oswais is bumped off in Afganistan. Vikas happens to meet a disappearing character called Rizwan (Viveik Oberoi) at Oswais’ funeral. Rizwan is a Turkish commander who had lost his family in terrorist attack and now wants to protect Vikas(pray why!) Rizwan lets Vikas know that the news channel head Ghajini is behind all the killings and terrorist attacks. The reporter Vikas turns into a hacker and goes to the dreaded 13th floor of the channel building to hack all confidential data of Al Johara and put it in his pen drive. There are lot of pointless chases and dishum dishums, with gun shots and bombs exploding everywhere without any need. To sum up, the erroneous story comes with the premise that Al Johara channel has taken the idea of the dead dreaded terrorist Abu Nazir and is deliberately keeping terrorism and fundamentalist ideologies alive in his name.



Technicalities:
Some of the actions scenes are good although they are not the best you’ve seen. The editing is slick but that is the only feature that warrants a comment. Nothing else impresses.



Best scenes of Mission Istanbul:
The End (we are not kidding)



Minus points of Mission Istanbul:
1. Mission Istanbul looks like a vehicle to promote sponsoring brands Mountain Dew and Aaj Tak News Channel.


2. Extremely irritating songs and to more woe, they crop up at the wrong times. Abhishek Bachchan’s item number is pathetic.


3. One cant digest a scholarly looking news reporter fighting, like an ace army man attacking and killing terrorists. Farfetched to the core. Also he is shown to hack confidential high end systems like piece of cake, even “unlocking the password” like it is nobody else’s business.


4. Pathetic direction. Meandering plot. Can’t believe it is the same guy who made Shoot out at Lokhandwala. Or was that Sanjay Gupta?


5. The George Bush duplicate used in the movie is totally irrelevant. Forget making fun of George Bush, his scenes look forced and totally out of the place. Though it is meant to be humorous, nobody in the theatre really laughed.


6. The pack-a-punch dialogues that was reminiscent in Shoot out at Lokhandwala is missing in Mission Istanbul.



Performances:

Most of the films released in 2008 have been pathetic ventures and Mission Istanbul is no less. But some of these flops films had good performances but Mission Istanbul falters the most in histrionics department. The acting is very amateurish. Zayed Khan acts dumb, in fact, he should only do a dumb man’s role because whenever he opens his mouth, it is tragedy. Shweta Bharadwaj can’t act to save her life. Shreya Saran disappoints too. The dependable Viveik Oberoi may have been right in grousing that he didn’t get enough roles. He tries hard but the weak characterization of the role fails him. Thank God, Suniel Shetty made a wise decision as a producer, to give a brief performance only.



Conclusion: Mission Istanbul suffers from weak characterizations and a bad plot. It isolates the viewers from the thick of things. At no point does the viewer feel connected to the script. Suniel anna, you have got brains, please invest in good cinema. Looks like Tashan and Love Story 2050 has competition!

Rating-1.5/5
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Well, my dear team member has already done a movie review on Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na but it is now my take on Jaane Tu.. v/s Lovestory 2050 in a completely short and sweet way!
How do you feel when you buy a Rs180/- ticket and go out a catch a film which is not what is not what it is advertised?
Lovestory 2050 gives you that feeling.
Lovestory 2050 is NOT a Sci-fi film pre-interval and that is it's biggest disadvantage.Harman and Priyanka are lovers with Harman a sydney dude and a stranger to 'madam' and plays the lover boy pre-interval complete BOLLYWOOD style! Post interval Priyanka dies and Harman believes she will come back in future and thus welcome Boman Irani as mad scientist and what follows is complete disaster.Special effects look good but choppy and Star wars 3 age!
Mumbai does not look like 2050 Mumbai and more like 2050 New York to say with flying cars and steel skyrises!
Overall this movie is not worth unless you have kids who have'nt those talking machines!

Jaane Tu is a breezy, feel-good entertainer. The treatment is fresh. Do not expect it to be a path-breaking or original love story…it is only a good time-pass feel good film. thats it.
Read more of the review done by Pat at http://www.allbakwaas.info/2008/07/jaane-tu-ya-jaane-na-movie-review.html


Awaazbandh reviewer's vote -
Jaane Tu.....Ya Jaane Na
(3.5/5) Thumb's Up!
Lovestory 2050
(1.5/5) Thumb's Down!

Imran Khan vs Harman Baweja

Irrespective of the fate of their films, it looks like Harman Baweja is a star to watch out for. He dances great and fights well; given the right script he will shine. Imran Khan looks only sutiable to act in chick-flicks (like Ranbir Kapoor). Between these two, Harman Baweja has potential to be a rocking star.Imran on the other side as said by Pat in his review needs to show more of his acting abilities.

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Post Taare Zameen Par, Aamir raised expectations on his next films and out came a surprise. Welcome Mr Imran Khan the latest addition to the Khan Bollywood World.The latest offerring of the Aamir Khan production is Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and has already managed publicity with Aamir doing what he never did!

The movie released today and here is our version of the movie.

Story:

While Jaane Tu is Imran’s debut vehicle, it is really Genelia who steals the show. Mr Imran is quite a poor actor it seems and as per my understanding which says he is trained in a London school for acting I believe this is his not-so-good version. The actress is a real livewire on screen and conveys those annoying feelings of jealousy, confusion, irritability and fake happiness without any problem.She is really sexy and pimps up her body even when conevying other feelings making her portary as the real college girl.The rest is college stuff which every person might have experienced in their life and usual direction in Munnabhai style.

Within the gang, who sport very Mumbai nicknames such as Rats (Jai), Meow (Aditi), Bombs (Sandhya), Jiggy (Jignesh), the guys fare much better than the girls. Jiggy delights as the Gujju while Rotlu and Bombs together are smashing as the couple who discover each other as soul mates when left solo by their crushes, Jai and Aditi.

Supporting cast members like Ratna Pathak Shah as Jai’s mum, Paresh Rawal as the police inspector, Naseeruddin Shah, as Jai’s dead Rajput father who speaks from his portrait hold, fort magnificently.

Even the sub-plot of Jai’s rite of passage as a true male Rathore from Ranjhore family by fulfilling three conditions - beating up a person, spending time in jail and riding a horse - is largely saved and made palatable by way of the safe casting of the Shahs and Arbaaz and Sohail Khan, who appear as Rathore boys in the guise of dancing cowboys.

On a whole jaane tu ya jaane na is a lovely cute movie honestly.
Its not a story which never heard or seen but then just like aamir said, It does revive good old college days and bring us a nice love story..
Overall it is just a usual Bollywood college movie and nothing exceptional apart from some pretty faces.

Performances:
Coming to acting, every character has performed well enough.
Debutant Imran looks cool and acting is admirable though we wanted more after all the hype around him.
I am not too much in favour of Genelia but still she was good in the movie...probably Katrina would have done better it seems now as I write this review.
It's a love story we all have seen earlier as well and looks boring in stages but Abbas Tyrewala made it in such a way that movie looks fresh and touching thanks to some comedy P.J.'s and their cute presentation.

Music: Was as expected and well picturized have seen many promos so was quite familiar. Imran would surely notch up a decent hit with this debut. The movie will surely have a decent opening as it appeals college people who are being tired of movies lately.

Overall a sweet movie..
PS: The theatrical promo of rock on has shown arjun rampal starring with farhan akthar for the first time.

Rating-3/5 (Low on expectations but good!)

One line review-College people this is for you!


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Mumbai-
Distribuor Raksha Enterprise
Price- 6.50 crore
Expected Share 7 crore AVERAGE
Delhi,UP,East Punjab and Mysore-
Distributor PVR Pictures
Price-7.30 crore
Expected Share 5.75 crore FLOP

West Bengal-
Distrubutor Kapurchand PVT LTD
Price-1.10 crore
Expected Share 80 lakhs FLOP

Bihar-
Distributor Maa Sona Films
Price-50 lakhs
Expeted Share 30 lakhs FLOP

CP Berar-
Distributor Rajshri
Price-90 lakhs
Expected Share 55 lakhs FLOP

CI and Rajasthan-
Distributor Sahara One
Price-1.60 crore
Expected Share 90 lakhs FLOP

Nizam-
Distributor Indra Films
Price-1.25 crore
Expected Share 1.10 crore FLOP

Tamil Nadu Kerala-
Distributor Harward Entertainment
Price-40 lakhs
Expected Share 30 lakhs FLOP

Orrisa-
Distributor Jaitara Communications
Price -10 lakhs
Expected Share 5 lakhs FLOP

Concludes to be Flop in India & Overseas.


______________________________________________________________________

Thanks And Regards;
s.-.a.-.n.-.j.-.a



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DE TAALI MOVIE REVIEW

This is one of the worst movies of the recent times.The sheer speed of the movie is in slow motion right from the start.The promos have been well designed but the movie is poorly directed and edited.The films runs almost dead motion throughout.Aftab is dud and seeing him in recent times is becoming more boring.Ayesha Takia is the bubbly Amu and does carry her well but has lacking and damaging chemistry with Ritiesh and Aftab.Aftab is Abhi and Ritiesh is Paglu.Three are friends and this is a story of there friendship.Anupam Kher makes a guest role so does Saurabh Shukla.E Niwas surely needs a break with one.The movie lacks a STORY! The movie run entirely here and there and no clues with what the actors are talking.Riteish does manage to raise laughs but very very limited Aftab and editing make sure people go to sleep again.The plot is as follows-
Aftab and Retiesh,Ayesha nd bachpan ke dost and grow in adults but still share the same friendship.The movie starts with the less popular and dead slow De Taali title.Aftab is rich and buys eveything for the other 2.Ayesha works in Kher's office who is aftab's father.Ritiesh is wayward in earning.Aftab has girlfriend problems and has had many relationships until 1 finally he thinks is good, welcome Rimii Sen.Then Ritiesh makes ayesha realize that she is perfect for Aftab while aftab selects Rimii.Rimii is a fraud and discovered by both Amu and Paglu both Aftab denies their all efforts to prove it and that is what movie runs on.And last is what all hindi movies have Ayesha with Aftab.This movie is a bore and half the crowd walked out before the movie ended.Only Maari Teetri is worth watching (That too due to sexy gal and Raja's beautiful voice!)

Rating-Can't rate such a bad one (1/5)

One line review-Stay away even from cinema hall streets!

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Rating-3/5

One line review-Go catch Aamir this movie is to stay!
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Not the Khan, the film. Gentlemen, hats off. Ladies, handbags down. On your feet, people, prepare for the ovation. Here’s why:

1. Because it’s the best directorial debut in ages [the film is directed by debutant Raj Kumar Gupta, who assisted Anurag Kashyap in No Smoking], and quite likely the film of the year. There’s more than half of 2008 to follow but it’ll take something both special and spectacular to top this awesome little film, and I honestly don’t see that happening.

2. Because it explores the Mumbai underbelly with such grit that we can virtually smell the sweat and the biryani, hell, we can feel the blood splash on us as protagonist Aamir (Rajeev Khandelwal) walks helplessly through a little galli and the rhythmic song he hears is punctuated with sounds of the meat cleaver, chopping up brain and bottom with guillotine precision.

3. Because it feels like it could happen to you. This is essentially a thriller about a doctor flying in from London only to find that his family is missing. Not just are they not waiting excitedly at the airport, but the phone at home is ringing answerlessly. Before Aamir can think about what to do, a cellphone is hurled at him, his luggage is scooped off, and he’s suddenly following bizarre orders while still sweltering in his Mumbai-unfriendly suit and tie.

4. Because Alphonse Roy’s cinematography deserves a 10 on 10. No kidding. This film perfectly marries the concept of a frantic handheld camera with tight, meticulously mounted extreme close ups, the combination giving it balance. When Aamir runs through an overpeopled haze in a fascinating chase sequence, the camera jostles wildly, as if it’s also galloping, breathless and confused, just to keep up. Yet the handheld is never indulged to headache extents, while the tight close shots are steady and assured. Very nice.

5. Because the music by Amit Trivedi is gobsmackingly brilliant. It’s been so long since we’ve had an effective theme tune for a Hindi film, and this one features a hauntingly simple violin solo that squirts in — with eclectic and varied measure, playing rollercoaster havoc with tempo and rhythm — just when it should. Awesome. The soundtrack is flawless, jazz tossed in atypical to the whore-and-heat surroundings, and Khusro just when you don’t expect it. Buy the CD now.

6. Because the acting is spot-on. Rajeev Khandelwal has an incredibly compelling screen presence, and is consistently so natural that the fourth wall breaks on its own, and your identification with the character is complete. Meanwhile, on the other end of the phone, Gajraj Rao, shot almost completely in the dark, achieves such in-control fundamentalist menace that he makes you shudder, even when stroking an infant’s cheeks. The supporting cast all look blessedly unfamiliar and have character dripping from them, especially the hotheaded cabbie.

7. Because director Raj Kumar Gupta has achieved this fantastic nugget of festival-worthy cinema with a really low budget, and while scoffing critics may point to the Filipino film Cavite for inspiration — a tall order in itself, this is a wholly original Bombay film — he has shown Aamir to the makers and gotten a no-objection certificate for the same. End the originality/plagiarism debate now; this is our own pikchur, and one we should be proud of.

8. Because while I’m itching to take the film apart and dissect bits of it and discuss the subtext, I just can’t do that. It’s too good to be spoilt, and the best thing for you going in watching this film for the first time is to watch it totally fresh. I will write at length on Aamir a while later, when all of you have seen it, but for now all I can really say about the film is that while it is a thriller, it is also an extremely internal film about character and conflict, while at the same time being a vividly real external experience, giving you a whiff of Mumbai, minus the cliches. There are bits I have issues with — a dream bit feels like a cheat — but I can’t nitpick much without going into detail. This film rocks, bas.

9. Because it is a first film for the director, the music director, the cinematographer, and the leading man, and that mammoth fact reinstates faith in cinema itself.

10. Because I can’t think of a reason not to applaud it, and if you can, tell me now, because I’m watching it in theatres again this weekend.

Rating-4.5/5 (Excellent!)

One Line Review-Guys if Sarkar Raj made you see a movie Aamir will show you life on the screen.This is a must watch!


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Review Excerpts from FilmiKhabar

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It is one the biggest Friday in Ramu's life even though it may be just another film for him.
His factory has taken a huge hammering last year and with the AAG debacle the man has been said to loose all glory of his yester years! It seems though Ramu has learnt to move on with it and now the much hyped SARKAR RAJ releases today.Bollywood has seen many sequels fail as well as prosper but they are a much assured way to success than remakes and thats exactly what Ramu says he specializes in! Sarkar was terrific and Sarkar Raj promises to be more from trailers and it does justice to it.

Sequels are dicey business. No matter how much you improvise on your new script, you cannot escape comparisons. And when you attempt a sequel of a critically acclaimed film that's a huge box-office grosser as well, it's akin to walking on a tight rope.

Most importantly, post RAMGOPAL VARMA KI AAG, Ramgopal Varma was everyone's favorite punching bag [till TASHAN dethroned RGV KI AAG]. “Finished”, “spent force”, “has-been”, “Pack up” were commonly used terms for RGV.

Now here's great news! SARKAR RAJ supersedes the prequel and most importantly, RGV bounces back like never before. If you felt SHIVA and later SATYA were his finest efforts, you've got to watch SARKAR RAJ. An outstanding film in all respects, this film has all it takes to emerge a major success story at the box-office… and a landmark film in everyone's careers.When Anita [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan], CEO of Sheppard Power Plant, an international company, brings a power plant proposal to set up in rural Maharashtra before the Nagres, insightful Shankar [Abhishek Bachchan] is quick to realize the benefits the power plant can bring to the people.

After convincing Sarkar [Amitabh Bachchan], who is against it for various reasons, Shankar undertakes a journey along with Anita to the villages of Maharashtra to mobilize support from the masses.
However, things are not what they seem to be and Shankar's dream project gradually becomes a political minefield. The evil forces, mightier than ever, mushroom and gang up to bring down the regime of Sarkar and obliterate Shankar's name from the political horizon.

SARKAR RAJ exudes a lot of power from the word 'Go'. But let's not categorize SARKAR RAJ as yet another “political film”. Emotions and relationships run concurrently in those 2+ hours. What works in favor of SARKAR RAJ is its tight writing. It's not difficult to decipher the power play, but more importantly, there's meat in the script. It leaves you awe-struck as the plot thickens. The film throws a number of surprises, but the best is reserved for the penultimate 20/25 minutes. The culmination to the story is simply fantastic!

RGV shines like never before. He takes to SARKAR RAJ with a vengeance. He has to prove that the sequel is better, he has to prove the detractors wrong too. While RGV has handled the subject with great expertise, you cannot ignore a few scenes that leave a lasting impact…
* Ash's first meeting with the Bachchans to explain the power project;
* Govind Namdev trying to bribe Abhishek;
* The Bachchans' visit to Dilip Prabhawalkar's residence;
* The Bachchans' discussion over Kay Kay [who was shot dead by Abhishek in the prequel];
* The turning point in the film [not to be disclosed];
* The penultimate reels when the real culprit stands exposed. It hits you like a ton of bricks.

Besides its strong content, SARKAR RAJ has been filmed exceptionally well too. In fact, SARKAR RAJ has the trademark RGV stamp in every sequence. The review would be incomplete without giving the due credit to writer Prashant Pandey's incredible and almost flawless script. Amar Mohile's background score is topnotch. The by-now-famous 'Govinda' chant in the background only enhances the impact. Amit Roy's cinematography is exceptional. The DoP succeeds in giving the film the raw-n-rustic look, which works very well. Action [Allan Amin], in minimal doses, is perfect.

SARKAR RAJ is embellished with superb performances! Amitabh Bachchan, expectedly, comes up with a terrific performance. He's as ferocious as a wounded tiger in the finale and takes the film to great heights.

First YUVA, then GURU, now SARKAR RAJ. Abhishek Bachchan is cast opposite the finest actor of this country, yet he sparkles in every sequence. This time, the father and son go neck to neck as far as acting honors go. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is fabulous and delivers her career-best performance in SARKAR RAJ. Enough has been written about her looks, but not much space has been devoted to her performances. HUM DIL DE CHUKE SANAM, DEVDAS, PROVOKED, GURU, JODHAA AKBAR and now SARKAR RAJ - she's only got better with every film.
Every supporting actor in SARKAR RAJ stands out - Dilip Prabhawalkar [superb], Govind Namdev [first-rate], Sayaji Shinde [perfect], Ravi Kale [terrific] and Supriya Pathak [good]. Tanisha is alright. The actor enacting the role of Dilip Prabhawalkar's grandson makes a strong impact.

On the whole, SARKAR RAJ is a good film in all respects. At the box-office, it has all it takes to set new records in days to come after the IPL showeb Bollywood away!

Rating-3/5 (Good)

One Line Review:Grab your weekend shows or they will be full!

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Here comes one of the awaited movie of 2008. So far 2008 has only given us bad movies and none has been actually a blockbuster recently! With the holidays on the mood upbeat everyone is trying to hit the target sales by selling us anything on their platter. Jannat does exactly what Bhootnath did, read further how it fails and yet will be success on a average because audiences have No choice!

As children our parents would promise to tell us one story before we went to bed. So every night we’d beg them to tell us a really long story.

But what would start as a fascinating tale of kings and knights would end up becoming so banal and boring that one of us would either just ask them to stop or just fall asleep.

Debutant director Kunal Deshmukh’s Jannat is a classic example of this kind of storytelling. For those who haven’t been able to figure out the story of this film from its hoarding here goes:

Story

Arjun Dikshit (Emraan Hashmi), a compulsive gambler finds himself in trouble once every other day with the loan sharks. One fine day he sees Zoya (Sonal Chauhan), a call center executive eyeing a beautiful diamond ring. A bit of a Casanova, Arjun spends the last of his money and buys it for her.

Somewhere along the way, he realises he is so good at predicting cricket matches that could well make a living out of it. By now he is in love with Zoya and so he impresses her with his singing and driving abilities just like Rajesh Khanna did in Aradhana. That is not to mention the expensive gifts he buys for her every other day, while exercising his vocal chords simultaneously.

About a couple of songs later, he finds himself in Cape Town. He graduates from betting to fixing matches for an underworld don.

Zoya, of course, is under the impression that his ‘import-export’ business has suddenly flourished. So she’s quite happy, (though not quite because she can’t spend as much time with him anymore) till a CBI Inspector tells her the truth.

She gets him arrested and in the process, Arjun’s ring falls dramatically to the ground. How Arjun manages to get out of the fixing game forms the second half of the story.

It’s not you; it’s the ring

At its very heart, Jannat is a story that begins and ends with a ring. Arjun and Zoya meet because of the ring. They fall in love and Arjun goes all lengths to make sure that the ring finds its rightful place.
But with each passing moment the weight of ring starts bearing upon his conscience (yes, our very own Frodo). The ring continues to be a major part of the film, till even the climax scene where by its very being it shapes the future of our lovebirds.

Gems of dialogues

If the gem on the ring does not impress you, the ones in the dialogues will. Zoya is justifying her handing Arjun over to the police. In a fit of desperation she yells out – “I love you, so I got you arrested.” Now, that’s unconditional!

Then there’s another where Arjun catches one of his players eyeing a good looking girl. Cheekily he says, “I know on the ground you like fielding at fine leg and off it you like looking at fine legs. But let me take you to a place where you will not only find fine legs but also gullies, slips and deep cover.” Profound.

Cricket

There are some very clear references to certain cricketers and real-life incidents. Those who follow the game would probably find many parallels between this movie and real life. There are clear references to Azharuddin, Shahid Afridi and of course Bob Woolmer throughout the 140-odd-minute long movie.

Family comes first

By itself, a film on cricket would have made for great viewing. But as the narrative unfolds, the movie loses its focus – after the girlfriend comes in, there’s the father and finally also a child.

Cricket used to be a family game, but not any more. And as far as we know neither is betting or fixing. So the whole family connection somehow is lost on us.

Emraan and Sonal

Sonal Chauhan is a known model. She has done some popular commercials and falls in line with all the rest of the models who simply cannot act to save their lives.

Hair and beard makes a man, they say. We know of John Abraham who has made a career out of his mane. Emraan Hashmi is a guy who may just make his with his beard.

As a senior colleague pointed out a few days ago, shave the guy’s beard and you’ll know how expressionless he is. There is a scene where he has indeed shaved. And we couldn’t help agreeing better.

But besides that, he isn’t entirely unbearable. And now that his kissing scenes have come down to just one or two, we must confess it’s not so bad watching him.

Verdict

If you are an Emraan Hashmi fan, go watch it. The film belongs to him (he’s the producer’s nephew, after all!). If not give it a pass.

Rating
2/5 (One for the theme, half for a guided tour of Cape Town and half for Emraan)

Review excerpts from Buzz18 network.
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