Archive for November 14, 2009

After making many headlines, Dulha Mil Gaya is finally ready for release. The film is directed by Mudassar Aziz, produced by Viveck Vaswani and stars Fardeen Khan, Sushmita Sen & Shah Rukh Khan has a guest appearance.

Guest appearance ? Well, Shah Rukh is on screen for 45 minutes in the second half of the film, but he hasnt charged anything for it. Its all for good ol’ Dostana! When Shah Rukh came to Mumbai and had no place to stay, it was Vaswani who opened his doors for SRK! No pun intended, if you have heard different version of the story!

ET reports that the film has finally found a buyer in Rajat Jhunjhunwala, a finance professional with an investment and restructuring background who is making his foray into bollywood. Click on the video to check out the trailer of the film. The quality is not good but its easy to figure out that they are trying to sell it as a Shah Rukh Khan film.

Yes, after much speculations Variety has confirmed it. And to quote Variety, here is the synopsis of the film.  

After his right forearm got pinned for nearly five days under a boulder during a climb in Utah in May, 2003, Ralston used a dull knife to amputate the limb. He then scaled a 65-foot sheer wall and hiked out before running into a family that gave him water and food. He was finally rescued by helicopter.

And if the synopsis doesnt excite you, check out the video. The amazing story of mountain climber Aron Ralston, in his own words.

Lil late on reviews this week. Only because we were not interested in any of the two hindi releases of the week. Tum Mile is from Bhaat Factory, directed by Kunal Deshmukh and stars Emraan Hashmi and Soha Ali Khan. And here is the report card.

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, TUM MILE caters to the youth mainly. At the box-office, the Vishesh Films – Emraan Hashmi combo has cultivated a strong fan-base over the years and coupled with good music, which is also very popular, the film should find itself in the comfortable zone – 3/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – You may survive the floods, but Emraan and Soha’s bak-bak will most certainly kill you! – 1.5/5

Gaurav Malani (ET) – Tum Mile might be dilute on the deluge but concentrates on having its heart in the right place. Watch it as a disaster flick and you will find it disastrous. Watch it as a love story and you will love it – 3/5

Khalid Mohamed (PFC) – To the immense credit of director Kunal Deshmukh, he shoots it with such sensitivity and grace, that you’re convinced that he’s an underrated director. Both Deshmukh and Mohit Suri (Woh Lamhe) from the Mahesh-Mukesh Bhatt factory are excellent technicians, and deserve to be in the A-list of mainstream directors – 3/5

Rediff (Sukanya Varma ) – Ultimately, though, Tum Mile’s true strength lies in the combined appeal and compelling performances of Emraan and Soha. Awe-inspiring it is not but engaging? By all means – 3/5

Mayank Shekhar (HT) – Alongside posters and promos of 2012, this reel or two was meant to be cinema about a shaking catastrophe. You realise, while the romance and its conflicts are short-lived, this is not a disaster film at all. I mean this as much for its genre as hopefully its fate among the public – 2/5

Anupama Chopra(NDTV) – The film strains for poignancy as the lovers realise that life is too short but their epiphany is more tedious than moving – 2/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – What really stands out in the film is the acting. Emraan and Soha create a chemistry that is brimming over with warmth and remains quite unpredictable till the very end. Their conversations — and concerns — are straight out of real life – 3.5 / 5

Minty Tejpal(Mumbai Mirror) – Emraan is fairly intense in his performance, while Soha is quite spunky, but together they are a bit flat. The music is fairly melodious, though there are no tracks that really jump out. However, the film is worth watching on a rainy day. Just don’t expect to be swept away – 2/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – Hashmi and Khan have a good fit, though, and their lovers’ tiffs feel real: Deshmukh has an ear for dialogue and gets his leads to spar in believable ways, especially when Hashmi behaves like a spoilt brat artist, and she an unrelenting career girl. Pity about the lax climax – 2/5

Kaveree Bamzai (India Today) – All the drama is in the breaking up and making up between Emraan and Soha and though both have put in likeable performances-Soha even foregoing make-up for it-it is too much water, too late and too limp – 2.5/5

Anand Vaishanv ( Buzz18) – While the disaster angle is clearly a gimmick. And the lovers could very well have sorted out their differences on a station or an airport lounge, the film is engagingly shot. Tum Mile is eventually just another love story punctuated with some 26/7 sequences. Watch it only if you are a die hard Emraan Hashmi fan – 2/5

The other release of the week is Aao Wish Karein stars Aftab Shivdasani and Aamna Shariff. Its directed by Glenn Baretto and is Aftab’s home production. And did we tell its written also by Aftab! Aur bolo!

Anupama Chopra (NDTV) – Week after week, critics lament the lack of original work in Bollywood. But after watching Aao Wish Karein, an agonizingly boring rework of Tom Hanks’ Big, I wished that the makers had been less original and copied more diligently – 0.5/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, AAO WISH KAREIN is engaging in parts, but how one wishes the film would grab your attention in entirety. The wish of striking a chord and hence, succeeding at the box-office won’t come true for this reason – 1.5/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – Far from achieving the fairytale feel it was going for, Aao Wish Karein is a colossally boring film that packs clunky dialogue, a predictable narrative and a muddled message in the end. Barring a few superb songs, this film is a miscalculation on all counts – 1/5

Minty Tejpal (Mumbai Mirror) – Yup, the same Big story, only Aftab is no Tom Hanks, and the less said about the direction the better. However, in good old Bollywood style, it’s the ending that’s the real double whammy. Go watch it if you wish – 1.5/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – Good proposition for kids, and adults, to buy in. But `Aao Wish Karein’ falls in between two stools, and becomes a film which appeals strongly to neither – 1/5

Nikhat Kazmi (TOI) – Obviously inspired by Tom Hanks 1988 classic (Big) that was nominated for two Oscars, the film lacks all the masala that made Penny Marshal’s film such a winsome experience. Also, the romance between Aftab and Aamna is quite thanda. Thoda aur wish karein? – 2/5