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Reviews
Saawariya (2007)
Careful - Genius At Work !
Saawariya is said to be based on 'White Nights', the short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which happens over a period of four nights and a morning.
To begin with, there is a great romantic story. So barring hardliners this story should appeal to all the rest of us who I guess, should be romantic at heart.
About the cast there are seasoned performers like Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan. Also the cast has veterans of unmatched caliber Zohra Sehgal and Begum Para. Plus the 2 débutantes Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor give a tremendous performance.
On the music front it would be difficult to find a parallel in Indian cinema. Monty Sharma excels in songs and the background score. The lyrics by Sameer though, are very pedestrian. But the melodies/ harmonies are so strong you can overlook the poor lyrics easily.
Photography by Ravi K. Chandran is flawless.
Costumes the best of the very best have been selected.
Set Design and Props there is a bit of indulgence by Omung Kumar and wife.
But all in all, the ingredients have the makings of a masterpiece.
One would really need to be a genius to mess this up. And Sanjay Leela Bhansali is the genius. He blames the critics, criticizes his audience, derides the competition, is at war with the whole world but won't look at himself in the mirror. Right from the first frame super 'a film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali' the king-size ego is at work. He wants to shout in every frame 'I DID IT.' But you forget one tiny important detail the script and the screenplay. This department is the weakest over here. The film crawls the four nights are endless. And the entire film is claustrophobic from the first frame.
And Sanjay, don't tell us that you don't care and make films for yourself because the audience pays for the tickets and they really feel cheated for paying good money to see your indulgence.
Don (2006)
Farhan Akhtar is a hen, he keeps cackling, and finally lays an egg
What a disappointment. To me there was no magic in the film at all. And I am not comparing this with the earlier Don, since I think it is best to see each movie independently and watch it on its own merit.
Slick production, clothes, etc. but where are the dialogs - the only fun dialogs are from the previous one - 'Don ko pakadna mushkil nahin...namumkin', 'Don paan nahin khaata tha; bahut bura'......
Blatantly picking up scenes from Face Off, Untouchables..... and lifting action scenes from The Matrix, The One....
Full of holes from start to finish. When Om Puri alludes to something is wrong you know he won't be the villain (like the Interpol officer in the previous version) and when Boman dies in the blast you are certain he will be the old gangster who no one has seen. Arjun Rampal is a computer whiz....what is he doing climbing sky-scrapers etc. And how he and his kid escape the high rise....and how Shahrukh finds them leave me speechless - just have to ignore and say 'don't look for details in a Bollywood movie'.
There is not much of the usual tom foolery of SRK - but characterization goofs on and off whenever he feels like.
And why do you need the 'Khaike Paan Banaraswalla' song when it is the original Don singing it - what is the significance. If it isn't Vijay's yearning for the 'paan' then why have the song??
Ek Ajnabee (2005)
Lift all you want - but make a good movie
First of all it is a plagiarized movie from Denzel Washington's "Man on Fire'. But let us put that aside since many Hindi movies are photocopies. (Some are 'inspired' but the bulk are total rehashes with not an iota of conscience.) So having put that to rest let us see if the movie stands on its own feet. Swish-swish editing - seems like an editor gone mad. Scenes from the future coming before, scenes from the past repeated ad nauseum - same takes get featured again and again, totally irrelevant to the story. Obviously the director is clueless about what it takes to tell a story in a celluloid medium. Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost was bad - Ek Ajnabee is pathetic. With a cast of hams - Arjun Rampal(leading the pack), Perizaad Zorabian, Vikram Chatwal, Kelly Dorje and a whole host of insignificant actors. But never mind what about the Big B?? You can flog him all you want; flaunt his talents but sir we are disappointed since you involve yourself with such low-grade productions.
Kaal (2005)
If you want songs and dancing around trees , this movie is not for you
At least there is, now, a young bunch of directors who are looking at new plots and new treatments. If you want songs and dancing around trees then this movie is not for you. If you want mindless melodrama and tear-jerking emotions go for another movie. But if you want to experience something fresh then entertain yourself with Kaal. Very good use of technology, exceptional sound design (Dwarak Warrier), good camera work and editing. As for performances, we didn't have hopes right from the beginning so there is no dissonance - beefcake John Abraham, single-expression Vivek Oberoi, bland Ajay Devgun and girls Esha Deol and Lara Dutta for glam value - who wants to see their acting talents. Some of the effects are repetitive. All in all a fantastic attempt for first time director Sohum. Keep it up. Bollywood has a future with new,young directors.
Waqt: The Race Against Time (2005)
Waqt - It's your 'Time' that is wasted
First of all there is Gujarati Theatre then there is Bollywood. Both have their strengths and fan following. Director Vipul Shah should look elsewhere instead of Gujarati Theatre when making a Bollywood production. First he made Aankhen (adapted from a Gujarati play) - which had a unique plot, but could not hold as a Hindi film. Now he's adapted another Gujarati play and named it Waqt - a race against time. In sum, the emotions are alien. The plot development is not for Hindi films. For example, the role play between father and son is best left to Gujarati Theatre - don't bring it in a Hindi film. Even the comedy track is best left for the Gujarati stage. All performances are average - nothing to shout about - barring Shefali Chhaya Shah who is fantastic.
Black (2005)
Depressing, depressing
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a unique director. In his previous film Khamoshi, he took Nana Patekar (who is known for his voice and dialogue delivery) and turned him into a mute. Sanjay has gone and done this once again - Rani Mukherji's eyes are the most expressive part of her personality. So what does the director do?? He gives her a role of a blind girl. On the plus side, the photography is very good. Amitabh and the little girl Ayesha Kapoor perform very well. Shernaz Patel is impressive as the mother. And music....what music(??) - you can't take 16 bars of a theme and play it over and over again throughout the length of the movie. The sets look more apt for theatre than for cinema. Go for it if you only look for depressing moments when you go to a cinema and not entertainment.
Page 3 (2005)
Anything goes
Crude, some times crass - to me that's the summation of Madhur Bhandarkar's latest work - Page 3. He has no point of view - just shallow, funny digs at stereotypes. What is the movie about?? Is it about reporting a clan of people (so called Page 3 types) who are so busy socializing and progressing their profiles in life - that they have no time for anything else. And you are either in it or out of it. Is it that there is no press at all to report everyday incidents. Madhur Bhandarkar forgets that there is a main newspaper and Page 3 is just a supplement; perhaps an entertainer for checking out who's who and what's what. Don't mix the two. And then there is power play - that would happen in every walk of life. So what have you told at the end of it all - nothing - just a few crude jokes strung together in an otherwise direction less movie.
Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005)
Caught in a time warp
Director Subhash Ghai is caught in a time warp. 'Dharam, karam,parampara, riti rivaaz' all sound out dated and boring. This would have been relevant perhaps 10-15 years back, but it's time to move on. The most redeeming factor is Ashok Mehta's photography - like wine, his DOP skills keep getting better with age. There are good individual performances but no chemistry at all between Viveck Oberoi and Antonia Bernath. Isha Sharvani performs well but has very little to do - with an ill-defined character. And she is made to dance at the drop of a hat - the dancing skills are great, but tend to look out of place with the repeated exposure. Perhaps Subhash Ghai should look at getting younger directors to make his films - like Abbas Mastan in Aitraaz
Elaan (2005)
Sad comeback for Mithun fans
Can't understand why the film makers chose this movie for Mithun's comeback and then give him nothing to do. Not one worthy scene or dialog for him. The action sequences are good. John Abraham as the 'Tapori' should know that he is not Amir Khan in Rangeela - please stick to what you are capable of doing - showing off your torso and bashing people. Not much can be said about Arjun Rampal's performance and Rahul Khanna should stick to cross-over films - he has no commercial cinema presence at all. Girls (Amisha and Lara) does anyone tell you'll the story before you accept the film or do you just go for the shoot??