I walked out after an hour. I could see other viewers getting restless too. What do you expect with the same old ghisi piti stalker story and screenplay .Why the girl falls in love with the annoying obnoxious title character is beyond me. Add to this , there are bad songs every 5 minutes.The movie suffers from poor production values and unimaginative direction . A surefire recipe for disaster. Avoid , even if you are a die-hard Ranbir fan. First misstep by him in choosing his roles. The new actress is so unremarkable that I don't even remember her name. The dabangg director needs some fresh ideas. Rishi kapoor and neetu singh are absolutely wasted .What were they thinking when they accepted this trashy film?
Reviews
23 Reviews
Raanjhanaa
(2013)
Stalker loves Beeatch
4 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
We have a stalker who threatens to slit his wrist to force a girl to love him back. We have the stalker leave Benaras and stalk his prey in Delhi. The lady who is the object of his affection is manipulative in her own way and extremely unlikeable. We have the stalker be physically abusive to the girl who silently loves him. We have a lead actress who cannot act. We have a crap screenplay. Dhanush is certainly fit for playing characters from the wrong side of the tracks that the single screen audience can identify with but I would like to see him play against type. His horrible tamil accented Hindi was very distracting. Why did a character who lived in Benaras for over 2 generations still talk with a tamil accent? There is no logical explanation. Abhay Deol was totally wasted in this role. The only thing going for this movie was the cinematography and the music.There is ZERO chemistry between the lead pair. I am not sure why this movie is lauded for its love story.The basic premise of the movie is repulsive that you can stalk your way into someone's heart. The so called heart rending ending was another sign of manipulative crappiness.Avoid this movie!
Saawariya
(2007)
Saawariya-A meditation on love
22 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Saawariya is not your typical dancing around trees romance but a mood piece exploring nostalgia, melodrama, loss, loneliness and love in various forms - first love, obsessive love, physical love, and heartbreak.
The movie is directed by one of the last few auteur's of Indian cinema who imbues it with his expansive vision . Bhansali's unmistakable imprint is all over this work. He obviously feels great kinship for Hindi movies and characters of the 50's and 60's and takes elements from those films and combines them with a Moulin Rouge inspired mies-en-scene where old fashioned pimps and contemporary prostitutes with retro hairstyles congregate in a studio generated Muslim ghetto to create a cinematic landscape all his own. While the directors cinematic landscape may be off putting to some, this viewer bought it hook line and sinker! I can almost see Johnny Walker in the role of the front desk clerk at the seedy Momin Lodge in Oldtown and the casting of Begum Para definitely adds an element of credibility to the proceedings. Zohra Sehgal never ceases to amaze and the perfect casting for this movie sets the table for the deliciously angst-filled four course meal the director serves for us.
This timeless, nameless place befit a film that is grounded in abstract and existential themes rather than plot as the women characters are caught up in an endless cycle of waiting Lollipop for her son, Sakina's grandmother for her tenants and her own son, and Sakina for her lover.
The central character is Ranbir Raj, a throwback to Raj Kapoor's persona from the 50s' - the lovable tramp, a bit of a goof-ball, who usually gets his heart broken.. There are many references to this , from the bowler hat to the umbrella . Ranbir does do a very good job portraying the complex emotional arc of his character from the "thunderbolt" of love at first sight to unrequited love. Sonam bears more than a passing resemblance to Waheeda Rehman in this film, especially the Waheeda from Chaudvin ka Chand and her character seems to be a direct inspiration for Sakina in this film, as she obsessively waits for her lover to return. Sonam has a complex many layered role, and she comes through in a more than adequate manner, considering that this is her first movie. Salman is an appropriate object of desire in his brief appearance and Rani steals the show with her clever one liners.
The music is melodious and woven easily into the film. It is truly a concept album, reflecting the various shades of love, from the dizzying heights of first love (Masha Allah, Jab SE Tere), to playful romance (Thode badmaash) ,to intense romance (Yoon shabnami, Jaan-e Jaan) to heartbreak( Daras bina nahin) .The many years spent on perfecting this soundtrack show and how! The fantastic and poignant song "Pari" which is beautifully pasteurized on the ladies of the night stands out in particular.
Of course, the movie is visually spectacular with many "Bhansali" moments. The lighting and cinematography is entirely suited to the theme , mood and atmosphere of the movie. At times the pacing is decidedly slow but just at the right moment, the movie picks up. A special mention should be made of the lyrical quality of the parting scene between the two protagonists. Ranbir and Sonam handled this scene beautifully, both with words said and unsaid . The ending could easily have become a maudlin affair, but it was genuinely affecting leaving a bittersweet aftertaste.
The movie recalls the slow languid pace, the claustrophobia and language of the Muslim culture of days gone by. I think this is Bhansali's homage to the era of Kamal Amrohi and Gurudutt. Nobody makes movies like this anymore and I applaud Mr. Bhansali for having the courage and conviction to stick to his vision.
I am sure most of the regular desi junta will not get this movie, but , oh well, its their loss.
Like someone said in an earlier review, this is destined to be a desi post modern cult classic!
The movie is directed by one of the last few auteur's of Indian cinema who imbues it with his expansive vision . Bhansali's unmistakable imprint is all over this work. He obviously feels great kinship for Hindi movies and characters of the 50's and 60's and takes elements from those films and combines them with a Moulin Rouge inspired mies-en-scene where old fashioned pimps and contemporary prostitutes with retro hairstyles congregate in a studio generated Muslim ghetto to create a cinematic landscape all his own. While the directors cinematic landscape may be off putting to some, this viewer bought it hook line and sinker! I can almost see Johnny Walker in the role of the front desk clerk at the seedy Momin Lodge in Oldtown and the casting of Begum Para definitely adds an element of credibility to the proceedings. Zohra Sehgal never ceases to amaze and the perfect casting for this movie sets the table for the deliciously angst-filled four course meal the director serves for us.
This timeless, nameless place befit a film that is grounded in abstract and existential themes rather than plot as the women characters are caught up in an endless cycle of waiting Lollipop for her son, Sakina's grandmother for her tenants and her own son, and Sakina for her lover.
The central character is Ranbir Raj, a throwback to Raj Kapoor's persona from the 50s' - the lovable tramp, a bit of a goof-ball, who usually gets his heart broken.. There are many references to this , from the bowler hat to the umbrella . Ranbir does do a very good job portraying the complex emotional arc of his character from the "thunderbolt" of love at first sight to unrequited love. Sonam bears more than a passing resemblance to Waheeda Rehman in this film, especially the Waheeda from Chaudvin ka Chand and her character seems to be a direct inspiration for Sakina in this film, as she obsessively waits for her lover to return. Sonam has a complex many layered role, and she comes through in a more than adequate manner, considering that this is her first movie. Salman is an appropriate object of desire in his brief appearance and Rani steals the show with her clever one liners.
The music is melodious and woven easily into the film. It is truly a concept album, reflecting the various shades of love, from the dizzying heights of first love (Masha Allah, Jab SE Tere), to playful romance (Thode badmaash) ,to intense romance (Yoon shabnami, Jaan-e Jaan) to heartbreak( Daras bina nahin) .The many years spent on perfecting this soundtrack show and how! The fantastic and poignant song "Pari" which is beautifully pasteurized on the ladies of the night stands out in particular.
Of course, the movie is visually spectacular with many "Bhansali" moments. The lighting and cinematography is entirely suited to the theme , mood and atmosphere of the movie. At times the pacing is decidedly slow but just at the right moment, the movie picks up. A special mention should be made of the lyrical quality of the parting scene between the two protagonists. Ranbir and Sonam handled this scene beautifully, both with words said and unsaid . The ending could easily have become a maudlin affair, but it was genuinely affecting leaving a bittersweet aftertaste.
The movie recalls the slow languid pace, the claustrophobia and language of the Muslim culture of days gone by. I think this is Bhansali's homage to the era of Kamal Amrohi and Gurudutt. Nobody makes movies like this anymore and I applaud Mr. Bhansali for having the courage and conviction to stick to his vision.
I am sure most of the regular desi junta will not get this movie, but , oh well, its their loss.
Like someone said in an earlier review, this is destined to be a desi post modern cult classic!
Salaam-E-Ishq
(2007)
Nikhil Advani is a genius!
9 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I was somewhat apprehensive about Nikhil's ability to make the 5 stories hang together and flow and boy did he do that and then some! This is the work of a director at the top of his game, at the peak of his creative prowess. This is the ultimate directors movie( and to some extent the editor) and Nikhil deserves major props for taking something that had huge potential for disaster and creating something extraordinarily interesting.. He has created the ultimate Bollywood Masala potboiler but in a non cheesy manner,taken the rules of bollywood convention and turned them upside the head, to create something fresh yet familiar -complemented by the self referential humor and self reflexive editing . Nuff said about the director!!
The editing was key to the success of this movie and except for about 20 minutes in the middle,I didn't find the movie dragged at all.It was great how each segment lasted for not more than 5 minutes at a time. The pacing was perfect and the climax was raucous, rousing and irresistible and definitely left one with an emotional high .
The actors acted their guts out (which was to be expected from good actors like Anil, Juhi, Govinda, Akshaye, Ayesha and Vidya), but John and Priyanka did a good job too,and Sallu was Sallu- which was perfect for the role he was playing:) I loved all the individual story lines and the extent to which the director was able to develop them so that they felt complete.
If I had to choose a favorite ,it has to be the Govinda story.His Delhi cabdriver was one of the most lovable characters in the movie. The language barriers between him and the American gal and how they overcame it was extremely fun and poignant at the same time and they were given great lines to speak .This section was extremely well written.
Priyanka was a surprise package, I loved the back-story of her character ( seemed a little inspired by Mallika Sherawat) and the unpredictable way her storyline with Sallu proceeded. She did a great job contrasting the "diva" scenes ( necessarily overdone) with the scenes where her real self is revealed ( to Rahul). The one scene where she is supposedly crying for the cameras when Rahul "dies" was heartbreaking , because she was tapping into the " tragedy queen" thing while at the same time grieving the loss of the love of her life. Sallu was camp-ilicious in his trade mark fashion and looked good enough to eat! His mannered or "fake" acting was needed for the role since he was playing a mysterious poseur and nobody really knew what he was all about.
Anil and Juhi did well in the standard "mid life crisis" storyline. This was probably the least interesting subplot because it has been done to death before, nonetheless the 3 main players brought this story to life .
Ayesha and Akshaye's pre-marriage commitment blues story line was well done too and funny.I loved Akshaye, despite his facial contortions .
The John Vidya story was very interesting in that it tackled a very sensitive subject( inter faith romance) but the woman's accident proneness was getting a little out of hand! Thankfully the director spared us the agony of her getting "cured" by a second bang on the head - a favorite bollywood convention from the 70's .This is a segment which could have been shortened a bit. The scenes with Ashutosh's Dad were unnecessary and there was way too much crying on the part of John which got repetitive.
The Sohail-Isha storyline was strictly for laughs , aimed at the B and C centers but it was funny as hell! I enjoyed the songs and dances much more on screen with the visual reference than just listening to them cold.
Overall this is one of the best movies I have seen in a while.
You will laugh! You will cry! You will come to terms !!:) A whopping 9/10!!
The editing was key to the success of this movie and except for about 20 minutes in the middle,I didn't find the movie dragged at all.It was great how each segment lasted for not more than 5 minutes at a time. The pacing was perfect and the climax was raucous, rousing and irresistible and definitely left one with an emotional high .
The actors acted their guts out (which was to be expected from good actors like Anil, Juhi, Govinda, Akshaye, Ayesha and Vidya), but John and Priyanka did a good job too,and Sallu was Sallu- which was perfect for the role he was playing:) I loved all the individual story lines and the extent to which the director was able to develop them so that they felt complete.
If I had to choose a favorite ,it has to be the Govinda story.His Delhi cabdriver was one of the most lovable characters in the movie. The language barriers between him and the American gal and how they overcame it was extremely fun and poignant at the same time and they were given great lines to speak .This section was extremely well written.
Priyanka was a surprise package, I loved the back-story of her character ( seemed a little inspired by Mallika Sherawat) and the unpredictable way her storyline with Sallu proceeded. She did a great job contrasting the "diva" scenes ( necessarily overdone) with the scenes where her real self is revealed ( to Rahul). The one scene where she is supposedly crying for the cameras when Rahul "dies" was heartbreaking , because she was tapping into the " tragedy queen" thing while at the same time grieving the loss of the love of her life. Sallu was camp-ilicious in his trade mark fashion and looked good enough to eat! His mannered or "fake" acting was needed for the role since he was playing a mysterious poseur and nobody really knew what he was all about.
Anil and Juhi did well in the standard "mid life crisis" storyline. This was probably the least interesting subplot because it has been done to death before, nonetheless the 3 main players brought this story to life .
Ayesha and Akshaye's pre-marriage commitment blues story line was well done too and funny.I loved Akshaye, despite his facial contortions .
The John Vidya story was very interesting in that it tackled a very sensitive subject( inter faith romance) but the woman's accident proneness was getting a little out of hand! Thankfully the director spared us the agony of her getting "cured" by a second bang on the head - a favorite bollywood convention from the 70's .This is a segment which could have been shortened a bit. The scenes with Ashutosh's Dad were unnecessary and there was way too much crying on the part of John which got repetitive.
The Sohail-Isha storyline was strictly for laughs , aimed at the B and C centers but it was funny as hell! I enjoyed the songs and dances much more on screen with the visual reference than just listening to them cold.
Overall this is one of the best movies I have seen in a while.
You will laugh! You will cry! You will come to terms !!:) A whopping 9/10!!
Parineeta
(2005)
Movie of the year!
12 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This has got to be the best movie of the year.This was a directors' movie through and through and what a great job he did! Watching this movie also makes you wonder how Devdas would have fared with Pradeep Sarkar at the helm.This guy has an absolute mastery of the medium , thats for sure.
The cinematography and WRITING was amazing.It was after very a long time that I heard such beautiful dialogs on screen, brimming with subtext.There was this particular shot of Howrah bride at night which is still etched in my memory.The only OTT/false tone/temporary bhansali insanity occurred at the end..( toddo shekhar todddo!), somehow did not sit well with the tone of the movie.
The first song was brilliant in its exposition of the childhood of the major protagonists of the movie.The songs were VERY good and actually fit the tone/mood of the movie. There was a VERY authentic recreation of the 60's, Calcutta has not been captured like this in recent times.The art director of this movie deserves an Oscar ! The 3 major actors were on point, not a false note from anyone.Saif has given his most mature performance yet and damn he looks hot in a sherwani! Vidya Balan is very good for her first movie and more importantly she "fits" her role to a T.Sanju has this kind of role down to a science- his sad eyes and world weary demeanor speak volumes.There were some VERY sensually picturised love scenes! Also the cameos by raima sen , diya mirza and the guy who played ajeet were great!
What can i can , i LOVED this movie.
The cinematography and WRITING was amazing.It was after very a long time that I heard such beautiful dialogs on screen, brimming with subtext.There was this particular shot of Howrah bride at night which is still etched in my memory.The only OTT/false tone/temporary bhansali insanity occurred at the end..( toddo shekhar todddo!), somehow did not sit well with the tone of the movie.
The first song was brilliant in its exposition of the childhood of the major protagonists of the movie.The songs were VERY good and actually fit the tone/mood of the movie. There was a VERY authentic recreation of the 60's, Calcutta has not been captured like this in recent times.The art director of this movie deserves an Oscar ! The 3 major actors were on point, not a false note from anyone.Saif has given his most mature performance yet and damn he looks hot in a sherwani! Vidya Balan is very good for her first movie and more importantly she "fits" her role to a T.Sanju has this kind of role down to a science- his sad eyes and world weary demeanor speak volumes.There were some VERY sensually picturised love scenes! Also the cameos by raima sen , diya mirza and the guy who played ajeet were great!
What can i can , i LOVED this movie.
Lucky: No Time for Love
(2005)
cute time pass
18 April 2005
Warning: Spoilers
I thought the movie was unpretentious , cute and enjoyable!! It didn't want to be a masterpiece and I'm OK with that. Salman acted quiet well and has good comic timing, moreover, he looks better with age! A thespian he isn't but is pretty tolerable in movies like this .Sneha was really cute and has that special something about her on screen, her acting was not much to write home about, but then her character didn't require much acting either . She has screen presence, evident even in a movie like this, and more so than I expected from the promos. Mithun- he was funny @ times( when parodying old Hindi film dialogs), although he was OTT too!
The songs were VERY well picturised, the romantic moments between the lead pair were well done with requisite amounts of angst and didn't leave one with an uneasy feeling at all ( despite the age gap). They had good chemistry together on screen . The cinematography was awesome, the screenplay was OK in parts. There was suspension of disbelief involved but a good movie( like this one) should make the viewers WANT to suspend disbelief rather than make them irritated. The movie was well directed on the whole .All in all, a nice 2 hours 17 minutes at the cinema..
The songs were VERY well picturised, the romantic moments between the lead pair were well done with requisite amounts of angst and didn't leave one with an uneasy feeling at all ( despite the age gap). They had good chemistry together on screen . The cinematography was awesome, the screenplay was OK in parts. There was suspension of disbelief involved but a good movie( like this one) should make the viewers WANT to suspend disbelief rather than make them irritated. The movie was well directed on the whole .All in all, a nice 2 hours 17 minutes at the cinema..
Raincoat
(2004)
good but not great
17 January 2005
Raincoat is essentially a 2 act play masquerading as a self indulgent character -driven(not plot-driven)movie with resultant periods of non engaging cinema. Overall , a technically well made movie but I do have some reservations about the way the backstory of the ex lovers is unfolded . I would have liked some more exposition regarding the nature of their relationship? Why was Neeru resigned to getting married to someone else if indeed she loved Mannu. Was she in fact in love with Mannu at that moment in time? Or was her love fading away on the basis of Mannu's character flaws? Ghosh certainly did not potray their relationship as one for the ages. The direction was similarly ambiguous wrt to their current meeting. What were they feeling for each other? Love? Lust? Affection?? I also did not appreciate the intrusive editing devices used( with many fade to blacks), made for a somewhat disjointed feeling. Aishwarya Rai excelled as Neeru, she seems to have taken it upon herself to prove the naysayers wrong! She was entirely convincing in what was a complex and multilayered role as the bihari housewife who has'nt had much good happen to her in life lately . Ajay Devgan didn't really bring anything new to the table in his portrayal of Mannu. He can do the diffident understated act in his sleep!He could have at least spoken with a Bihari accent! He looked and sounded exactly like he has in most of his movies, though he remains a v good actor. Loved the use of music in the movie and the cinematography was brilliant.
Overall I would give this a 7
Overall I would give this a 7
In Your Name
(2003)
Salman's Show
22 October 2004
Warning: Spoilers
After being put off by Salman's hair in promos,i delayed watching this movie for almost a year!! What a mistake..
Tere Naam was certainly one of the most enjoyable movies of recent times.. and I have gone from a Salman hater to Salman tolerator..
SPOILERS.....
What an unexpectedly amazing performance. Salman's portrayal of an emotionally tormented lover was without a doubt his best work thus far. There are certain scenes where his desperation, pain and helplessness is almost palpable. He certainly seems to have tapped into some hitherto unseen reserves of acting talent to come up with his performance. Or maybe he just channeled the demons from his personal life.
And the hair, ah the hair.. I actually liked it ( after I got over the initial annoyance). I think it is gutsy of Salman to actually look THAT different from his usual chocolate boy looks. It fit in with his rebellious, good for nothing character.
Bhoomika was a perfect foil for Salman. I could totally buy why Salman's character would fall for her.Her innocence and freshness is very appealing.The lead players had GREAT on screen chemistry.
I think the friendship shown between Salman's group of friends was very real too.. nothing saccharine about it.
I loved the story /screenplay and direction. Definitely different.
Add in the awesome soundtrack, all in all, 3 hours well spent.
Tere Naam was certainly one of the most enjoyable movies of recent times.. and I have gone from a Salman hater to Salman tolerator..
SPOILERS.....
What an unexpectedly amazing performance. Salman's portrayal of an emotionally tormented lover was without a doubt his best work thus far. There are certain scenes where his desperation, pain and helplessness is almost palpable. He certainly seems to have tapped into some hitherto unseen reserves of acting talent to come up with his performance. Or maybe he just channeled the demons from his personal life.
And the hair, ah the hair.. I actually liked it ( after I got over the initial annoyance). I think it is gutsy of Salman to actually look THAT different from his usual chocolate boy looks. It fit in with his rebellious, good for nothing character.
Bhoomika was a perfect foil for Salman. I could totally buy why Salman's character would fall for her.Her innocence and freshness is very appealing.The lead players had GREAT on screen chemistry.
I think the friendship shown between Salman's group of friends was very real too.. nothing saccharine about it.
I loved the story /screenplay and direction. Definitely different.
Add in the awesome soundtrack, all in all, 3 hours well spent.
Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...
(2004)
terrible movie, What was Aish thinking?
14 October 2004
Terribly unfunny unromantic "romatic comedy"
This is not the kind of role one was expecting from Aish after she had been so careful in selecting her movie roles in the recent past. The role seemed tailor made for your generic teenybopper bollywood actress.. not the actress from Devdas, HDDCS and Chokher Bali amongst others.
Her costumes in some of the dances were shockingly bad.. She would do well to wear Indian costumes more than western ones,, she looks breathakingly gorgeous in the former and like any other bollywood actress in the latter.
Vivek looked good but the role was so annoyingly juvenile and smug that it wld be hard to imagine a girl falling for him!
Add to that, there was absolutely no chemistry between the lead players
Amitabh was incredibly annoying,, as was the whole orphanage plot line..
The writers of this movie need a crash-course with Linda Seger asap.. what a poorly written script.. ( and vivek oberoi was partly responsible for the writing.. expected better from you vivek!)
The less said about the direction the better..
This will go down as one of the most forgettable movies of the year..
And the most disappointing
This is not the kind of role one was expecting from Aish after she had been so careful in selecting her movie roles in the recent past. The role seemed tailor made for your generic teenybopper bollywood actress.. not the actress from Devdas, HDDCS and Chokher Bali amongst others.
Her costumes in some of the dances were shockingly bad.. She would do well to wear Indian costumes more than western ones,, she looks breathakingly gorgeous in the former and like any other bollywood actress in the latter.
Vivek looked good but the role was so annoyingly juvenile and smug that it wld be hard to imagine a girl falling for him!
Add to that, there was absolutely no chemistry between the lead players
Amitabh was incredibly annoying,, as was the whole orphanage plot line..
The writers of this movie need a crash-course with Linda Seger asap.. what a poorly written script.. ( and vivek oberoi was partly responsible for the writing.. expected better from you vivek!)
The less said about the direction the better..
This will go down as one of the most forgettable movies of the year..
And the most disappointing
under-appreciated gem, Prashant Narayan is a future STAR
11 July 2004
So this was the movie Kaizaad Gustad was trying to make.. !
This is Shashanka Ghosh's homage to Tarantino and the coen bro's and what a well made tribute it is..
excellently crafted screenplay, extremely well directed.., top notch acting..Prashant Narayan is a STAR!! what an intensely charismatic performance as the conflicted gangsta .. Watch out for this guy, he's going places!Pratima Kazmi as Gangu Bai was another stellar piece of acting.. The characters were overall very interesting and the writing clever...
If you like something " zara hatke" this movies for you!!
Bravo Shashank...
This is Shashanka Ghosh's homage to Tarantino and the coen bro's and what a well made tribute it is..
excellently crafted screenplay, extremely well directed.., top notch acting..Prashant Narayan is a STAR!! what an intensely charismatic performance as the conflicted gangsta .. Watch out for this guy, he's going places!Pratima Kazmi as Gangu Bai was another stellar piece of acting.. The characters were overall very interesting and the writing clever...
If you like something " zara hatke" this movies for you!!
Bravo Shashank...
Dev
(2004)
amazing , awesome, inspiring ( minor spoilers)
13 June 2004
Warning: Spoilers
The best movie i have seen in a long long long time..
The movie is loosely based on the gujarat riots and the machinations thereof..i.e the complicit role of the chief minister of the state with communal elements and collusion of the police force with the rioters ..But it is an extremely balanced look at the communal politics behind riots in India, with elements in both communities inciting such events for their own personal gains..
What can i say about Mr Bachhan, the more i see this man on screen, the more awestruck i am. He is perfectly cast as an honest cop, battling the system( reminiscent of khakee) except as he himself said, this movie is an implosion rather than an explosion. He doesn't go out in a blaze of glory taking down the bad guys with him.. Thats what makes this movie so startlingly different.
Om puri is an ideal foil as the morally bankrupt but conflicted cop who is friends with mr bacchans character. he is such a great actor..
Kareena is amazing .. she looks and acts "real" in an almost irridescent manner, and not like an overmade up glam doll .. the look suits her so well. she has immense guts to take on this role and i commend her for that.
Fardeen was nothing special..but the kareena fardeen scenes exude chemistry .
Direction was superb..Govid Nihalani excels as usual .
The movie is loosely based on the gujarat riots and the machinations thereof..i.e the complicit role of the chief minister of the state with communal elements and collusion of the police force with the rioters ..But it is an extremely balanced look at the communal politics behind riots in India, with elements in both communities inciting such events for their own personal gains..
What can i say about Mr Bachhan, the more i see this man on screen, the more awestruck i am. He is perfectly cast as an honest cop, battling the system( reminiscent of khakee) except as he himself said, this movie is an implosion rather than an explosion. He doesn't go out in a blaze of glory taking down the bad guys with him.. Thats what makes this movie so startlingly different.
Om puri is an ideal foil as the morally bankrupt but conflicted cop who is friends with mr bacchans character. he is such a great actor..
Kareena is amazing .. she looks and acts "real" in an almost irridescent manner, and not like an overmade up glam doll .. the look suits her so well. she has immense guts to take on this role and i commend her for that.
Fardeen was nothing special..but the kareena fardeen scenes exude chemistry .
Direction was superb..Govid Nihalani excels as usual .
Boom
(I) (2003)
style over substance
30 May 2004
OK kaizaad gustaad is suffering from a major Tarantino/wachkowski bros ( from their bound days)hangover..
while this movie is groundbreaking by bollywood standards, one cannot but help feel a major sense of deja vue while watching it..seems to be an overstylsed mish mash of QT movies ( which are themselves an homage to hong kong movies)
the story is non existent,, the characters r not fleshed out and why is it that EVERY mob character HAS to have a quirk/idiosyncrasy? Despite that, the dialogs are clever and javed jaffrey excels..
I hope in his future films, kaizaad also pays a lil attention to the substance! he's got the style thing down pat!
while this movie is groundbreaking by bollywood standards, one cannot but help feel a major sense of deja vue while watching it..seems to be an overstylsed mish mash of QT movies ( which are themselves an homage to hong kong movies)
the story is non existent,, the characters r not fleshed out and why is it that EVERY mob character HAS to have a quirk/idiosyncrasy? Despite that, the dialogs are clever and javed jaffrey excels..
I hope in his future films, kaizaad also pays a lil attention to the substance! he's got the style thing down pat!
Garm Hava
(1974)
Amazing movie!(minor spoilers)
6 May 2004
Warning: Spoilers
This movie HAS to be up there in the top 100 movies of ALL times.
Balraj Sahni owned this movie as Salim Mirza ,the patriarch of a Muslim family in agra during the turbulent era after partition. He epitomises the dilemma and struggles experienced by a whole generation of Muslim families in India at that time.Overall dialogs and screenplay are amazingly true to the era .The art direction is authentic to the times. The last scene where Farooq Shaikh who portrays Salim's college going son, gives up on the idea of migrating to Pakistan and instead joins a student march on the street gives me goosebumps.! As does the scene where his daughter ends her life in a gruesome fashion-heartwrenching scenes all.Another stand out scene is when Salim Mirza's decrepit old mother refuses to leave the haveli.
The soundtrack was awesome especially the qawaali at fatehpur sikri.
At the end of the day, this has to be Balraj Sahni's best work. HE was one of the most natural actors out there and in this movie he truly shines.
Recommend without reservations. Come prepared to bawl your eyes out though.
10/10
Balraj Sahni owned this movie as Salim Mirza ,the patriarch of a Muslim family in agra during the turbulent era after partition. He epitomises the dilemma and struggles experienced by a whole generation of Muslim families in India at that time.Overall dialogs and screenplay are amazingly true to the era .The art direction is authentic to the times. The last scene where Farooq Shaikh who portrays Salim's college going son, gives up on the idea of migrating to Pakistan and instead joins a student march on the street gives me goosebumps.! As does the scene where his daughter ends her life in a gruesome fashion-heartwrenching scenes all.Another stand out scene is when Salim Mirza's decrepit old mother refuses to leave the haveli.
The soundtrack was awesome especially the qawaali at fatehpur sikri.
At the end of the day, this has to be Balraj Sahni's best work. HE was one of the most natural actors out there and in this movie he truly shines.
Recommend without reservations. Come prepared to bawl your eyes out though.
10/10
Alaap
(1977)
i love this movie!
16 March 2004
This movie deals with class warfare with a backdrop of music. The soundtrack of Alaap is incredibly good.There are numerous classical gems. Amitabh has never acted better in his career.He epitomises the struggling musician type to the T. Chaya Devi is sublime, not only her acting but her character in this movie is heartwrenching. Warning to all tho- this is a complete tearjerker,.,come ready with hankies..!! Rekha is good but not memorable.
9/10
9/10
Khakee
(2004)
amitabh rules!
18 February 2004
This is a fairly enjoyable thriller , which tries to be slightly different and off the beaten path. The glue that holds this movie together is Amit. DEfinitly one of his better work in the past decade. The sequence where he is admonishing the politician towards the end of the movie , reminding him of his duty to the ordinary man was really effective and goosebump inducing:) the man can still bring it! Aish was Ok. Her role did not have much substance in my opinion and she did'nt blow me away with her acting. She still looks good though! Tusshar is stiff. Akshay is time pass. The Aish Aksh songs were good. I liked the fact that the muslim character was handled extermely sympathetically. How refreshing in this age of jingoistic patriotism!. At the end of the day, I wld urge you to watch this movie for Amitabh Bachhan Overall grade 8/10.
Mirza Ghalib
(1988– )
outstanding!! amazing music
25 December 2003
this was an outstanding , well directed and extremely well acted series on one of the greatest shayars india has produced-mirza ghalib..
the man was a genius!! his poetry is indescribably deep..
the music for this series was amazing!! jagjit and chitra sang the ghazals with immense depth.
Naseer was great, he embodied Ghalib completely..
Go get the DVD and CD of this series NOW!!
the man was a genius!! his poetry is indescribably deep..
the music for this series was amazing!! jagjit and chitra sang the ghazals with immense depth.
Naseer was great, he embodied Ghalib completely..
Go get the DVD and CD of this series NOW!!
fresh air!
22 November 2003
this movie was extremely enjoyable. what a breath of fresh air!. antara was awesome, and totally inhabited her character ( a village girl who is a madhuri dixit wannabe).she had the dance movements and facial expressions down pat..( i guess as much as one can copy the one and only ms dixit!). rajpal yadav was absolutely amazing and pretty much stole the show.''fresh idea. great script and direction . very well developed and three dimensional characters..classic story arc . makes you want to root for the underdog protagonist.! overall gotta give it an 8 ! most underrated movie of 2003. most underrrated actor- rajpal yadav.
Jhankaar Beats
(2003)
awesome flick
5 October 2003
this has to one of the more enjoyable movies ive seen this year... refreshing to see a well made hindi film.., a script one can identify w/.. rahul bose is the cornerstone of the movie,,, exteremly natural actor.. the songs are to die for,, and for once,, the actors who play instruments in the movie can actually keep time w/ the songs!! give this a 10
Baghban
(2003)
nothing special
5 October 2003
this is a movie which reminds me of avatar- starring rajesh khanna from the 80's. the issue of parents-kids divide is interesting but was handled in a rather unoriginal manner.. the characters were not developed fully and the kids seemed to go from being extermely loving ( in the first 15mts of the movie) to being totally unconcerned about the parents,, this transformation was not credible to say the least..they sld have explored this a little more. amitabh and jaya were miscast as this helpless old couple.. firstly amit was not too convincing in this role,because he just did not look like he should be helpless, i mean why not just go back to work where he is wanted instead of being w/ kids who didnt want them.. hema was not convincing as a 60 yr old either... she didnt look a day over 50.. then the whole isssue of the book baghban winning the booker prize begged credibility.. all in all, a movie that handles an important issue but cld have been made better, i give it 5/10
Heer Raanjha
(1970)
astonishing movie
15 July 2003
this has to be one of the most unusual Hindi films ever mainly because the whole movie was in verse. this movie was based on the legendary story written by waris shah, the punjabi version of romeo and juliet. raj kumar was campy but awesome,, he was made to play ranjha. his dialog delivery and andaz-e bayan is unique and fits this genre of movies to a T. the music was extra-ordinary., the dialogs and lyrics written by kaifi azmi nothing short of spectacular.the lead actress was the only weak link,a log of wood may have done better!! nonetheless, this movie is an achievement in the world of desi cinema and needs to be seen by movie aficionados everywhere
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon
(2003)
too loud,, too annoying
8 July 2003
sooraj barjatya tries self consciously to get oh so hip in his new flick. the effort falls flat on his face. in creating hritik roshans prem, he has creasted the most annoying, loud , irritating and obnoxious character on screen this year.. hritik if u r reading this , please stop accepting trash like this? whatever hapenned to movies like fiza and mission kashmir?kareena was ok but getting one dimensional in roles like this,also, sooraj please get a clue!! how about not plagiarising old hindi films ( like chitchor),, only saving grace was the music . altho even here,the director went overboard with 5 songs too many. in conclusion, please watch this movie at your own risk!
Devdas
(I) (2002)
kitchsy interpretation but entertaining nonetheless
6 September 2002
Well made movie except I was totally blinded by the gaudiness of the ostentatious sets.. somehow did not ring true for the era the movie was set in. i guess it was SLB's interpretation of the masterpiece. nonetheless SRK was pretty good- mercifully he did not torture us with his usual mannerisms and facial contortions which pass for emotional expression. mads looked and acted great. aish looked great and acted well enough, but i think her acting in HDDCS was far superior. She needs to improve her urdu diction ...the songs were amazing and extremely well picturised.. jackie shroff was an irritating presence- he was desperately trying to ape Rajesh Khanna from amar prem. more than anything else, this was SLB's vision and he is still by far one of the best "visualizer" of romantic moments on the Indian screen.
Zakhm
(1998)
Bravo Mr Bhatt
18 April 2002
This is one of the best and bravest films to deal with the issue of communal harmony in India and is even more relevant after the gujarat events. Amazing screenplay, story and direction. Acting is top notch especially ajay devgan has got to have the most intense actors around.. his eyes are so expressive, he doesn't need to speak!!Pooja and Kunal Khemu excel.Heartfelt and touching lyrics, especially hum yahan. This is one movie which is extremely well balanced and will raise the hackles of the fundamentalist elements from both sides.Congrats to Mr Bhatt for this achievement. Mr Bhatt gets is right on so many levels with this movie, Bravo Sir!!Certainly one of the best movies of the past 30 years.
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