Posts Tagged ‘film review’

love aaj kal4Will Imtiaz Ali score a hattrick ? Everyone loves his first one Socha Na Tha. Jab We Met gave him box office success. And now the third one – Love Aaj Kal starring Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone and Rishi Kapoor. And who is that Harleen Kaur ?

Post-press screening, we heard mixed reviews about it. Nothing mindblowing. Ok to good to great timepass. Some early reviews are out. Take a look.

Gaurav Malani (Indiatimes) – Love Aaj Kal doesn’t promise much newness in its plot but clicks largely for its casual-n-cheerful presentation – 3/5

Anand Vaishnav (Buzz18) – Love Aaj Kal is not perfect. But in one of Bollywood’s dullest years, this one comes as a refreshing ray of hope. It’s bound to bring a smile on your face. Here’s a film with both head and heart – 4/5

Taran Adarsh (Indiafm) – On the whole, LOVE AAJ KAL is for the young and romantic at heart. Sure, it’s not perfect, but the terrific performances, melodious music and stirring emotional moments more than compensate for the hiccups – 4/5

Raja Sen ( Rediff) – Love Aaj Kal is a harmless, watchable film — sad, because it could have been truly special. It has its moments in the first half, while the second half is an over-melodramatic drag – 2.5/5

Anupama Chopra ( NDTV) – Love Aaj Kal is an above average film with some wonderful moments, nice lines and fine performances. But it’s not as sparkling or engaging as it should have been – 3/5

Rajeev Masand (CNN IBN) – The film in the end is ordinary stuff, watchable but never memorable like the director’s previous efforts, the far superior “Socha Na Tha” and “Jab We Met” – 2/5

Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express) – It’s hard not to warm up to a film which is, at its core, likeable. I just wish I could have liked it more – 3/5

Khalid Mohamed (Aslibaat) – The result is cuts above the kind of movies you’re getting aaj kal. Worth the price of a ticket-cum-popcorn. Make that caramel – 3/5

Minty Tejpal – Though a poignant love story, Love Aaj Kal lacks the joyous, organic soul of Jab We Met, and appears crafted. Nevertheless, Imtiaz Ali shows that he is a top notch director, with an eye for subtle, emotional nuances 3.5/5

Mayank Shekhar (Hindustan Times) – Eventually, a script that starts off supremely crisp, loosens out into climaxes. And a final explanation that while times have changed, only expressions may have altered – 3/5

Baradwaj Rangan – After ‘Socha Na Tha’ and ‘Jab We Met,’ Imtiaz Ali dreams up another winning romance – about love today versus love yesterday.

So far, 2.5 to 4, seems what we heard is right.

And yeah, finally we have got the name of the actress who plays Harleen Kaur! So all you guys who have been googling Harleen Kaur, stop now. She is Giselle Monteiro! And with an intersting name like that, we are more curious. Anybody got any more dope!

new yorkto find out that circumcision comes from two latin words circum (meaning around) and caedere (meaning to cut). And New York is just “around” a triangle love story that has been “cut” to give some thrill. Story is by Aditya Chopra. Need we say more.

So let the right ones in. Kabir Khan. In. Irfan Khan. In. Katrina Kaif. In. Nawazuddin. In. John Abraham & Neil Nitin Mukesh ? They are cute. Get them in.

As a friend said what else do you expect from Yashraj Films ? They will romanticise terrorism too. And thats too little and too late. When the world is done with it and have moved ahead, we suddenly have woken up. In Kabir Khan’s New York, 9/11 seems just one more coincidence as there are such big holes in the film through which the twin towers can easily pass through. Too filmy, too convenient and too many unanswered questions. Here goes few which we could not digest. (Spoiler Alert)

FBI – at one point it detains anyone it wants. At other, it waits & waits & waits. For evidence. It negotiates with a terrorist. Oops, make that terrorist’s wife. Ganga gaye to gangadas, yamuna gaye to yamunadas.

John Abraham – even after nine months in jail, the hulk still has the bulk. Otherwise whats the point of shooting him nude, right ? The eye candy should score some ticket sales atleast.

College – Like in all hindi films, for two years, they all just sang “Hai junoon”. Much much later you get to know that John was studying architecture. And so he uses his architecture gyaan for cleaning windows!

Mom-dad – If I am not wrong, I did hear about John & Katrina’s parents. Katrina gave quite a long lecture on that. But even as they go through so much shit in life, their parents seem to be busy holidaying in Timbucktoo. More Casting ? Cut it.

Buck Fush – Except few people with placards in one shot, it doesnt feel like a story set in New York. You don’t even get to know the city & its politics. Its only there till college romance where foreign extras have been hired in good numbers.

Nawazuddin – The actor who packs more punches & definitely more emotions in one confession statement than the entire star cast & the complete film put togther. But the way he suddenly pops in & pops out, I am wondering why suddenly this dose of realism. His short story felt much more genuine than others. 

Kabir Khan’s debut film Kabul Express was also on the similar lines. Tackling a world issue in a commercial format. But this one is purely commercial trying to be seriously concerned. And this is just the beginning. More circumcision will soon follow. Rensil D’Silva with Qurbaan starring Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor & Viek Oberoi. And finally Karan Johar’s My Name is Khan starring Shah Rukh Khan & Kajol. Will they cut more or less or just around it ? 

Dvd recco – Watch Khuda Ke Liye. The Pakistani film was shoddily made but had its heart at the right place. Naseerduddin Shah’s debut film Yun Hota To Kya Hota was a collage of few stories that smoothly flowed in. From Hollywood, United 93 & Michael Moore’s brillant documenatry Fahrenheit 9/11 are must watch.

PS – Mayank Shekhar, what were you smoking ? 3.5 for this one ? We used to think Nikhat Kazmi & Taran Adarsh are the twin towers of film criticism. When did you join the gang ?

99 - film99 Film Review

There are films where you dont feel like entering the theatre post-interval. Not even with the caramel flavoured popcorn and coke. And this week’s release 99, directed by Krishna D K & Raj Nidimoru, is one such film. But in this case, the reverse is true. Its all about the second half.

After sitting through the boring first half, where actually nothing happens, its difficult to enter the theatre again for the 2nd half. (NOTHING means absolutely nothing ) Its all about set up in the first half.  Setting up the characters, their traits, locations and the back stories.  Its almost a never-ending loop. The same events again and again.

If you manage to sit through the 1st half, please make sure that you enter the theatre for the second half. Because the story moves in this half.

The year is 19-99. Two guys ( Kunal Khemu & Cyrus Broacha) with bad luck, who always get stuck at the crucial point before hitting the century, get into the messy business of cricket, betting and mobile rings. Its a con job with loads of fun, atleast for them.

And thats why the year ( 19-99) is significant. The year when mobile rings and betting scandals made the headlines. There is a great story idea there but the execution is so bad that everything seems dry and half-baked. Kunal and Cyrus, who end up working for the local don ( Mahesh Manjrekar) because of their bad luck, lands up in Delhi for some paisa vasooli. But its not what it seems, things go wrong, they meet the wrong guys and desperately look out for ways to get it all right. Enters Boman Irani and Vinod Khanna, the cricket maniac and the betting king!

Kunal-Khemu’s interaction with  Soha Ali(as hotel executive) is so amateurish that you will cringe at their every interaction. Its the same story with Boman Irani and his wife, who are trying to sort out their marriage issues, it again goes in circles, scene after scene, they talk the same shit.

Mahesh Manjrekar as the local don, Cyrus Broacha as Khemu’s partner in crime, and Amit Mistry as Kuber steal the show. 

Watch it, because there is nothing else in the theatres. And dont worry even if you enter post-interval. Infact, you should pay half the ticket price and enter post-interval only. And yah, the delhi destiny song is the best thing about the film.

Rating – 2/5.

 Btw, Rediff’s film critic Raja Sen makes his filmy debut with this one. He is credited with the dialogues alongwith two other writers. We wonder what happened to Raja’s great cinematic insights on film writing. And here is Raja Sen trying his best to sell 99. And Here is how he came onboard. Sencity is sin city now!