ksreekar Reviews

Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013)

Fun, frolic, and love-filled.... but riddled with clichés....

[7/10 · 31 May 2013]

Amidst the hype, Madhuri's ghagra, the Ranbir - Deepika relationship and others, there was a sense of hope and expectation with this film for me, just because is was directed by "Ayan Mukerji". The director of Wake up Sid, which was a film where I really thought of Ranbir as an actor for the future.

This film has a cast of some young and fresh actors who bring their A game to the table. Specially people like Aditya Roy Kapoor, Kalki, and of couse the ever charming Ranbir and Deepika. Their performances do give a fresh and joyous sense to the film.

Coming to the plot, there is nothing you do not expect, A guy who lives a carefree and adventure filled life (Ranbir) and a girl who is like the one friend we all have and know is a book o'holic.(Deepika). This film does not surprise you with the plot or gives a twist or takes unexpected turns, but the actors and the screenplay makes up for it.

Like almost each and every Karan Johar film, this one has that first half fun filled and second half emotion filled plot, if you know what I mean......

The soundtrack delivered by Pritam is really foot tapping and catchy. Even with the emotional sogs, he does leave a mark. Don't be surprised if you find yourself humming some of the tunes even after you leave the hall. (Specially Subhanallah and Kabira)....

Some of the locations of the film shot in manali which shows trekking are enjoyable...

The main fault with the film is the plot itself and how it is presented in a clichéd manner. I don't have a problem with a used plot, but it could have been presented in a way that it does not get boring and too predictable. Guess the makers didn't want to take a risk.

The characters in this film are well built and we connect to them. Even small roles like Ranbir's parents, Kalki, are well acted and most importantly relate-able.

In the end this is a film with good acting, good premise, great locations, songs, but does get very much predictable and some times uninteresting. I give it a 7/10

Shootout at Wadala (2013)

Slick action.. Watch in a single screen to fully enjoy it....!!!!!!!!

[9/10 · 3 May 2013]

I went into the film with the hope of watching a good film because I heard John Abraham say that it was his "best performance" till date and it would be nice if he could win a "National Award" for his acting in this one.

To start off with the plot, it is about a college going boy named (Manohar) Manya Surve who, because of situations, becomes a gangster. Anil Kapoor is an honest cop who sticks to his word and is ready to fight evil with brute force. The plot unravels and leads to the first ever encounter in Mumbai Police history.

To talk about the positives of this movie, I will have to say that It does manage to engage you on an emotional level. The action scenes shot in slow motion do leave a lasting effect on you. The performances of the lead actors like John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut, Manoj Bajpayee, Sonu Sood are worth it. They do manage to hit the right chords.

The music is intense and does not slow down the pace of the film. They do add to the intensity and pace of the film. the soundtrack is, mostly filled with Item songs, but does not disappoint.

The screenplay is very taught and engaging. The camera-work in this film is really slick. It is very stylish and showing.

Now coming to the negatives, The plot, though very appreciable does tend to confuse you a bit. The film does jump back and forth in time and at times, does appear to be strangled. The number of characters also does not help. The characters mentioned above, each of them have an important role to play and therefore, are all important, hence difficult to keep track of.

The dialogues are filled with abuses and swear words. It is not the kind of film you want to watch with your family, but with the right friends, it can be enjoyable.

On the Whole, SHOOTOUT AT WADALA does live up to what it promises to be. A slick action film showing the underbelly of Mumbai. It is worth watching for the performances and for its slick style. I give it an 8/10

Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012)

Adventurous, exciting, but leaves you with a sense of emptiness.

[8/10 · 3 December 2012]

There is no doubt that it is people like Reema Kagti, Aamir Khan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap and company that will be taking bollywood to the next level. Talaash is also.. that kind of a film that takes you to a place where Indian Cinema is not expected to venture. This is my first review, The first film that has forced me to do it.

There is nothing in the plot that I can actually reveal rather than the same old Accident and Investigation stuff. It is actually a movie which relies on its suspense and surprise element for best viewing experience. If you are looking for something like Kahaani, Sarfarosh (or even CID for that matter), I am sorry that I have to disappoint you. The story is far from it. If you like it, you will love it to the core. If you don't like it, It may turn out to be a disaster of a film for you.

Aamir, Rani, Kareena, Nawazuddin, everyone were at their lethal best. Special mention for Nawazuddin Siddiqui for his brilliance on screen. He portrayed his role as a prostitute manager in a unique but marvelous way.

Screenplay was at a different level altogether. You may feel the story was dragging itself during the first half, but still the story and screenplay keep the movie alive and intriguing. There are some neat twists and perfectly situated songs to go with. The dialogues were brilliant (they were Anurag Kashyap's). Absolutely on the mark from minute one.

But the story (particularly the ending), leaves you with a sense of emptiness and heartbreaking feeling that all that has boiled down to just this. This may come as a shock to many and some might say it was predictable. The good thing is that this story does not come out with loopholes. Every question is answered and every detail taken care of. Normally these kind of movies leave loopholes, this is a place where the movie excels.

On the whole, it was a different experience altogether. Something out of the ordinary or something unexpected. certainly worth a watch at least once for its extraordinary freshness and for the performances of the lead roles.

Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012)

Lengthy, illogical, but some neat twists and an enjoyable plot. Doesn't deserve the hype.

[6/10 · 21 November 2012]

To start of.. Jab Tak Hai jaan was Yashji's last. This automatically brings hype and with it come high expectations. Frankly, It doesn't deserve the hype.

The story has some neat twists. Most of them at the perfect time. And by that I mean whenever you feel the film is dragging, there comes a twist.

SRK was not as good and does not create an impression in the first half but certainly does in the second. He portrayed the deep role of an military personnel perfectly. I think that SRK now is perfect for those old man roles rather than being a 25 year old.

Anushka Sharma was brilliant in her role.. whenever she was on screen, the film seemed to have a fresh look about it. She was perfect.

The film has a lot of those beautiful locations as you would expect from a yash raj film. A lot of those in Kashmir and UK.

The film also had a lot of minus points.

First off.. a 47 year old SRK doing the role of a youngster.. not very pleasing. And there was Katrina.. with her same plastic looks and pathetic acting.. The length of the movie was annoying. Frankly speaking, I thought the film was over at the interval.

Oscar Winning A.R.Rahman fails to make an impression. Specially the film depended a lot on songs like Challa and Ishq Shava but they were not up to the mark. Better music would have given the movie a lift.

Another main thing which was missing from this film was logic. Well I cant actually tell you those Illogical moments because it would reveal the plot. But some of them were really over the top.

Bottom line: Watch It if you are a Die Hard SRK fan or you just have nothing to do this weekend.