Movie Reviews

Race to Witch Mountain Movie Review

2009-03-14T22:39:00.000-07:00

Seen on: March 13, 2009

The players: Director: Andy Fickman, Writers: Mark Bomback, Matt Lopez, Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ciaran Hinds, Anna-Sophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino

Facts of interest: Based on the book "Escape to Witch Mountain" by Alexander Key.

The plot: A Las Vegas taxi driver's life abruptly changes when he picks up two alien kids who crash-landed on Earth and need to get back to their ship.

Our thoughts: Disney’s remake “Race to Witch Mountain” is a lot of things, but it certainly isn’t as dreadful as I originally thought. The film is by no means a masterpiece or even a must-see, but it’s got a bunch of qualities I admit I enjoyed experiencing.

First and foremost, Andy Fickman’s sci-fi family adventure is entertaining for the most part. “Race” doesn’t waste much time setting up its main intrigue, and within the first 10 minutes or so, the story’s central characters are already engaged in one of many explosive pursuits.

Strangely enough, herein also lies my major dilemma. Although the movie as a whole is rather fast-paced, the plot is still a little too monotonous. I mean, let’s face it: besides chase sequence after chase sequence, this one doesn’t have that much to offer.

Disney’s new hero Dwayne Johnson stars as Jack Bruno, a Las Vegas taxi driver who really struggles to get by. Things quickly change, however, when he encounters Sara and Seth, two extraterrestrial kids who crash-landed on Earth and must return to their spaceship before a ruthless alien assassin blows them away.

The main story line of “Race to Witch Mountain” also involves a sub-plot about the kids trying to save their own planet and prevent the invasion of Earth, but to be honest, that part doesn’t matter much in the end. After all, this one’s a 100 percent sci-fi action flick for kids.

The word “kids” is key here, because that’s the film’s target audience, and that’s also exactly who I believe will enjoy this adventure the most. The portrayal of Sara and Seth of two strong individuals determined to complete their mission will certainly appeal to young cinemagoers, as will the large amount of action.

Now, even though the story remains rather thin and the constant cat-and-mouse game between the good guys, the ruthless government and the evil killer lacks suspense and surprises, “Witch Mountain” possesses a few things that easily make it a watchable big-screen experience.

Two things I liked about this movie were Fickman’s direction and Greg Gardiner’s vibrant cinematography, which successfully inject otherwise standard action scenes with spice. The special effects department could have made a slightly better job, but overall, the film’s look helps boost its plot’s pace.

A few words about the acting: I wasn’t worried at all about AnnaSophia Robb’s performance as one of the alien kids, because she already delivered a delightful performance in “Bridge to Terabithia.” I had trouble buying Alexander Ludwig as her companion Seth, but he gets better along the way.

As far as former WWE star Johnson is concerned, he didn’t really convince me even though he didn’t totally disappoint me either. His work is certainly much better than in “The Game Plan,” but he’s still not a funny guy. Carla Gugino’s performance didn’t knock me out of my seat either.

Freaky quote: “Don't go in the pimped out fridge Jack..." – Dwayne Johnson

The final word: Take the kids to see this one, because they’ll certainly be busy staring at all the racing and explosions on the big screen. Make sure you don’t take the very young ones though, because there’s plenty of loud noise and shooting going on in “Race” as well. But don’t worry, this is still a Disney flick, and you know careful they are.

“Race to Witch Mountain” is not a fantastic family adventure, but it won’t make your life miserable either.

Madavan Startign 13B Movie Review

2009-03-09T04:10:00.000-07:00

movie review 13B

Vikram K Kumar, the writer director of 13B has had an illustrious career, which began as an assistant to Priyadarashan. His latest film, 13B, has been made in Hindi and Tamil, with R Madhavan and Neetu Chandra playing the lead in both versions. The film, which belongs to the horror genre might just about arouse curiousity and generate a tad bit of suspense, but if it's horror that the makers are doling out, then they have definitely got the wrong address. There is nothing in the film which could get one scared, startled maybe. 13B has an interesting premise and towards the climax it does manage to pick up pace. But the overall impact is hardly exciting.

The problem with most Hindi horror films is that makers generally go over the top in the manner in which they use the background score, right from the first frame, even before anything horrifying has begun. It continues right up to the point where they build up suspense over every little thing. In this film, for instance, there is an illustrious Bengali film actor called Dhritiman Chatterjee, who plays the role of a blind man, who has a guide dog. As he lives in the same building as Manohar (Madhavan), the protagonist keeps bumping into him. He hardly has any role to talk about. In fact, the dog probably has more to do in the movie. The director just uses him as a red herring, as there is no reason for him to be there in the film. This over the top attitude is also evident in the choice of camera angles, specially seen in the first scene.

The film revolves around Manohar and his family, who have just moved into their own flat. It is on the 13th floor and the flat number is, 13B. The women of the house, which includes Manohar's wife (Neetu Chandra), his mother (Poonam Dhillon) and his sister in law, spend most of their time in front of the television, catching all the soaps being aired. After a while, strange things start happening in the life of Manohar and his family. It starts with little things land then gradually, one day Manohar discovers that one of the TV soaps called 'Sab Khairiyat Hai', which is telecast everyday at 1pm in the afternoon, seems to be strangely mirroring everything that is happening in his familoy. It happens in the soap first and then the very same incident is played out in his family. His suspicion gets confirmed when his wife has an accident in the kitchen and is admitted to hospital in a serious condition. She suffers a miscarriage and the doctors ate unable to diagnose her condition. All of this is shown happening to the wife of the protagonist of the serial as well. It's only after her recovery is shown on n the soap that Manohar's wife recovers, much to the surprise of the doctors. Incidentally, the soap is only beamed in Manohar's house. He confides in a friend of his, who is a cop (played by Murali Sharma). The two try to investigate into the motive behind all that is happening. They dig up some clues and discover that the family which appears in the soap, was actually bludgeoned to death many years ago. The bunglow, where they lived, used to be on the same spot where the building in which Manohar lives, has now come up. The address of their house was 13B, which is Manohar's flat number. Digging into the past, the two discover a tale of murder and revenge. Manohar needs to unravel the mystery fast if he wants to save his family from a killer who is out on the loose.

While the part about the uncanny similarity between the events in the serial being replicated in real life, is a little unsettling, the film loses its bite once the mystery starts to be unraveled. The journey back into the past and the story of the unrequited lover is nor sufficiently moving enough. Hence when Sachin Khedekar, the friendly GP, sheds his friendly image, there is not much of a shock. In fact, one is really not drawn into the movie and the plight of its protagonists, except perhaps for Manohar. The problem lies in the manner in which the film has been written. There is little that writer director Vikram can do to retrieve the movie. The music of the film has been composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy, who deliver a fairly decent score. The cinematography by PC Sreeram is good.

The only thing that keeps the film going is the acting prowess of R Madhavan, with some great support from Murali Sharma. But A Madhavan is not enough to prop the film. He does his best and tries to be as natural as possible. He receives little support from the cast, which includes veteran actress Poonam Dhillon and taleneted newcomer Neetu Chandra. Murali does a good job as Madhavan's friend; Deepak Dobriyal is just about OK as the madman, while Sachin Khedekar's character's motives do not appear to be strong enough to warrant such a crime.

13B comes with a tagline saying that 'Fear has a new address.

Unfortunately, the film and its treatment do not bear that out. On the whole, a disappointing experience.

English Movie Watchman Review

2009-03-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

When the focus is on the friendship and eventual romance between Dan Dreiberg/The Nite Owl and Malin Ackerman's Sally Spector/The Silk Spectre II (she was forced into super heroism by her mother, who is played in a few wonderful scenes by Carla Gugino), the film works as a sad story of lost opportunity and unfulfilled potential. They are, alas, the only two characters who really are just regular human beings. Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) frequently monologues allegedly deep thoughts about the inconsequence of existence, all too often in the same monotone voice he uses in his 'Priceless' Visa commercials, but in the end he is more of a plot device. Rorschach (Jackie Lee Haley) only registers during the brief moments where he is unmasked, when we can see the hate and rage underneath the white rorschach blot mask (with the mask, he speaks in a growl that will remind viewers of Christian Bale's McGruff the Crime Bat). Matthew Goode, as the inexplicably optimistic Adrian Veidt (a former hero who quit and built a vast fortune selling his image) does what he can with a somewhat one-note role. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has too little time as The Comedian to register as anything other than a government-sanctioned mass murderer.

Perhaps the problem is that so much of the original novel's appeal was its relative freshness. The depiction of heroes as dysfunctional and possibly crazed was a breath of fresh air 1987. Watchmen was a deconstruction of the super hero stories of the 1940s and 1950s, with a skewered satirical dart aimed at the 'more serious' work coming down the pike in the 1970s. Its real world setting and real world problems, the idea that masked vigilantes may be ill-equipped to handle the world's biggest problems, was somewhat of a fresh idea in 1986. Now, this specific 'what would happen if people really put on a costume and fought crime' mythology isn't any more realistic than the regular super hero stories. In fact, the broadly colorful costumes, heavily stylized action violence, and epic, world-balancing narrative actually renders it almost campy in comparison to more intimate, real-world comic book entertainments like The Dark Knight. It's themes of super heroism as a form of emotional and sexual release have been co-opted in films like Unbreakable, and the very idea of dark, gritty, ultra-violent super hero stories have become so commonplace in the last twenty years that it's actually the status quo.

Watchmen was a story of its time, and it still works as an individual character study. But its themes and ideas are no longer ground breaking, and they may not be relevant anymore. Our current fears reside not in instant nuclear annihilation by a state power, but in slow death by environmental and economic collapse. Without going into details, the slightly altered ending makes the villain's ideology even less plausible, considering how we now know how mass populations react to um... certain events.

In the end, Zack Snyder does deserve credit for not making the material more cinematic than it naturally is. Yes, there is a little more violence, a touch more action, and plenty of stylized slow motion (too much, as the film feels like the 161 minutes that it is), but the story is still basically retired super heroes talking about their old days while trying to solve a solitary mystery. He is more or less faithful in incident, and completely faithful in tone and spirit (my fear that he would make the dour, depressing story more 'cool' is unfounded). Snyder has made a suitable companion piece to a ground breaking piece of literature. He has obtained fine performances from his cast, especially Patrick Wilson. And the technical merits of this picture absolutely demand big screen viewing. But, as a stand alone motion picture, it is not quite a success. It is plodding, occasionally boring, and it struggles for relevancy in a time where its admittedly intelligent and thought provoking ideas and themes have been stolen by better big screen entertainments. For better or worse, we now have a faithful live action motion picture of Watchmen.Watchmen is a motion picture of uncommon ambition, technical perfectionism, and inspired artistry. it is also based on a beloved story that is not and was never terribly cinematic in nature. While I fully intended to discuss the film as a stand alone product, regardless of its success or failure as a literary adaptation, the finished product is so tied to its source that a viewer is required to have some understanding of the original book to at least appreciate, if not understand the movie. As I watched this epic unfold, I kept unconsciously referencing the original graphic novel for context, to fill in the blanks that the film itself did provide. As a faithful adaptation, it is a success. As an emotional tone poem, it is occasionally powerful. But as a stand alone feature film, intended to draw in and entertain the uninitiated, it's slightly problematic. Complete newbies will likely understand the broad strokes, but the subtleties of the material and the thematic ideologies may be lost under the surface, leaving non fans wondering what all the fuss was about.

What you require to know going in - The film is set in an alternate time line, six where non super-powered crime fighters roamed the cities before and after World War II. In this world, an accident turned scientist Jon Osterman into the all-powerful, all-blue demi-god Dr. Manhattan during the height of the Vietnam war. It's now 1985. Dr. Manhattan single-handedly won for the US in 'Nam, Richard Nixon has been re-elected five times, and non-government-sanctioned crime fighters have been outlawed. However, the use of Dr. Manhattan as a weapon started a nuclear arms race with the USSR and the five super powers seem on the brink of nuclear annihilation. Meanwhile, the murderous, psychotic crime fighter known as Rorschach stumbles upon the homicide of former super hero turned government spy The Comedian, a crime which may involve his old costumed buddies from the 1960s.

Ironically, for a story that is considered the pinnacle of super hero fiction, the book and film both succeed best at the smaller character moments. The first thirty minutes are sensational, as the murder of The Comedian gives way to a stunningly beautiful title sequence (where the alternate time line is laid out in a montage set to Bob Dylan's 'Times They Are A Changing'). This then segues into introductory moments, where the heroes of old are introduced in six form or another. Focus shifts between the still operating Rorschach (a crazed homicidal imp of a bloke, unbending in his pessimistic ideology) and the long retired Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson, in a phenomenally subtle performance), who spends his days drinking with the original 1940s Nite Owl. For a lovely half hour, the film is a stunningly moving ode to regret, loneliness, and paths not taken, as our former heroes join together to bury six of their own, a bloke who cast a dark shadow over all of them.

But then, the film loses something. The human interaction and poignancy give way to cumbersome exposition and flashbacks. For the entire remaining five hours, the film becomes episodic and disjointed, and the excitement dies. The production is handsome, the acting is exceptional, and the special effects are mostly effective. But, at the end of the day, Watchmen is not an exciting story. So, what came across as curious on the page often feels boring on the screen.

Koncham Istam Koncham Kastam Movive Review

2009-02-05T20:26:00.000-08:00

Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam, being called with pet title 'KIKK' has released today. The film has followed a typical muhurath by releasing at 1:01 PM instead of hitting screens at regular 11 AM show. Let us see how far that muhurath worked well with this movie and what the content is.

Story:
Geeta (Tamanna) is the daughter of a big man named Subrahmanyam (Nazar) in a village. She holds great love and affection for her father. And she happens to come to city for studying in a college. She stays with Gachibowli Diwakar and his wife (Brahmanandam and Hema). She develops good rapport with Prof Rajya Lakshmi (Ramya Krishna) in her college. Siddhu (Siddarth) is the son of Prof Rajya Lakshmi who leads the life of a play boy. Siddhu lives only with his mother for many years and his father Prakash Varma (Prakash Raj) lives abroad and earns big fame and money. He returns and the son Siddhu goes close to him. The friendship between son and father stands unique and strong. Siddhu loves Geeta as a routine treat in any film. But Subrahmanyam puts a condition that he would allow his daughter to marry Siddhu only when the parents of Siddhu are united. Then the real game starts for both Siddhu and Geeta to unite the separated couple. Whether they turned successful in that attempt becomes rest of the story.

Analysis:
The film is an out and out family entertainer and the main essence is how a young couple attempts to unite a separated old couple for making their love win and take to the altar of marriage. The theme is in fact interesting. The initial few minutes during titles recall the film 'Sangamam' but later things proved to be unique.

First half sounded average while the later half in second part sounded racy and better. On a whole it has got the class-content and teaches a moral 'keep only love and shun anger from relationships'. That's good attempt which deserves a mention.

One really wishes that separating couples just with mere ego would learn lesson from this film.

Performances:
The film grooved in all major artistes and there is nothing less to speak about them.

Siddartha with his unique style of performance enticed again. Tamanna looked with lot of grace and beauty and has really stolen the show with her looks and expressions. She can stand as Madhuri Dixit in Tollywood if polished her performance and dance in a better way. She is gifted with elegance in screen presence.

Ramya Krishna is ok but she would have given own dubbing for her character. The voice used for her hasn't suited. Being a senior actress, she should at least try to use her own voice inspiring from young artistes like Mamata Mohandas.

Prakash Raj did his best in fatherly role and it is completely different from what he has shown in Bommarillu.

Music stands on the top of all faculties. All the songs received great applause in theatre. It is true that songs could pull the narration of this flick in interesting way. The screenplay is slow and there are some hiccups in editing. The cinematography is marvelous and the film teaches a lesson how the mood can be elevated while picturing songs. Dialogues by Abburi Ravi are good and interesting.

Direction is good but still needs to be gripping. On a whole seriousness and sentiment dominated. Comedy by Brahmanandam hasn't given the punch that has promised at the introduction of his role.

Film: Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam
Rating: 3/5
Banner: Laxmi Narasimha Productions
Cast: Siddartha, Tamanna, Praash Raj,. TRamya Krishna, Venu Madhav, Brahmanandam, Nazar, Hema and others
Music: Shankar Ehasaan Loy
Cinematogrpahy: Vijay K Chander
Art: Chinna
Dialogues: Abburi Ravi
Screenplay: Deepak Raj
Editing: Srikar Prasad
Background score: Mani Sharma
Producer: Nallamalupu Bujji
Story, Direction: Kishore Kumar

REVIEW: LUCK BY CHANCE

2009-01-31T02:27:00.000-08:00

Film: LUCK BY CHANCE
Rating: 3.5/5
Banners:Big Pictures, Excel Entertainment
Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Rishi Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Isha Sharwani, Dimple Kapadia, Juhi Chawla, Sanjay Kapoor, Aly Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Cinematography: Carlos Catalan
Written: Zoya Akhtar
Producers: Ritesh Sidhwani & Farhan Akhtar
Director: Zoya Akhtar
Release Date: January 30, 2008

Story:
A well knit tale, the story is about two characters. On one hand there is Sona (Konkona) who comes with loads of dreams to make it big in the film industry and would not hesitate to compromise to any extent to reach her goal and is a rather naïve person in a way. On the other, there is Vikram (Farhan) who lets go of a comfortable lifestyle in Delhi just to pursue his dream but then he is smart enough to know the rules of the game and also to play the right card at the right time. As expected, both Vikram and Sona chance upon each other and love blooms. All this apart, there is the famous producer Rommy Rolly (Rishi) who believes in making movies only with superstars and has his own share of sentiments. Then there is Nina (Dimple), the ravishing beauty of the yesteryears who is keen on making her daughter Nikki (Isha) the queen of today. Rolly begins a flick with Nikki and this also has Zafar Khan (Hrithik), the superstar as the hero. Things take a change when Zafar decides to pull back out of the project leaving Rolly in the lurch. It is here that Rolly decides to break his beliefs and go for a new star cast and Vikram comes into the picture. What happens from there forms the rest of the story.

Presentation:
The director has come out with a very straight forward and realistic storyline and true to the material, the presentation was perfect and the narrative was intense and deep. The dialogues were well written, the script was tight and under the grip, the screenplay was executed brilliantly. The music suited the moods very well and there are two numbers that can definitely be taken home. Cinematography was top notch and the editing was brilliant. Costumes played a significant role in this one and every other department made its presence felt in a strong way. Coming to the cast, it was Farhan who has proved his mettle once again and has evolved as a perfect actor, he is natural and charming. Konkona was equally impressive with a super performance, Rishi was excellent, Dimple was dazzling, Juhi was just perfect, Hrithik was top notch, Aly Khan was apt, Isha was impressive. Among the guest roles, it was Shahrukh who stole the show and made his presence felt. The others were equally valuable in their contribution and did well to add value to the movie.

Conclusion:
The director needs to be given the entire credit this being her debut attempt and for having come out with such a mature handling of the entire project. While the first half of the film goes about in a lighter mode with the regular happenings of the industry, the second half takes an emotional turn and also an entertaining climax which culminates to a meaningful ending. The film will remain close to the hearts of those who are associated with the film industry and for those who want to know about the industry, this is a better insight. The film will run smoothly to the success mark without hitches. Well done folks!!!

Chandni Chowk To China Movie Review

2009-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

By Subhash K Jha

Starring Mithin Chakraborty, Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Ranvir Shorey
Directed by Nikhil Advani
Rating : * ½

This is a film about maar-saala arts, not to be confused with martial arts which Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan practice with such splendid and subtle skills on screen.

Akshay Kumar cannot be accused of the sins of subtlety. Not at all. He goes from a sweaty cook in Chandni Chowk to a cheesy fighter in China with hammers tongs and indecipherable tongues.

What lies between the extremities represented by the two Oriental cultures has to be seen to be believed….or, not seen to be not borne. But then we in country love to torture ourselves. And most of us do exactly what we are told not to.

So go for this one. And find out why 'Bollywood' (that horribly inappropriate wannabe term used to describe Hindi mainstream cinema) cannot compete with its technically savvy upcountry cousins from the West, or even China and Hong Kong.

When Jackie Chan kicks ass, man… he really kicks! No two ways about it. Akshay Kumar divides his time between being an action hero and a comic virtuoso, tripping over the line that divides the two genres with little or no scope to contain the fall as the screenplay plunges lower and lower into the depths of inanity.

Writer Sridhar Raghavan, known for his smart slick cerebral takes on formulistic conventions spins a web of incidents chronicling the journey of Sidhu the protagonist from a cook in Chandni Chowk to the satirical samurai in Shanghai is littered with laughable incidents and episodes that appear more to be part of a clumsy sitcom lampooning the Chinese than purported large-screen spectacle bringing China to Bollywood.

Director Nikhil Advani (who displayed pockets of sensitivity in his innovative but over-long Salaam-e-Ishq two years ago) takes the hero into what looks like a carryover of the Chambal ravines in China.

Honestly, if this film had been shot anywhere in the world it would've been just as bland and fatuous. What compounds the woefully inadequate narration is the abject lack of connectivity between the protagonist and the audience.

Not even for a second do we feel a rush of empathetic adrenaline for the culturally-displaced Sidhu who encounters all kinds of emaciated goons, terrorized by a suited, booted and largely-uprooted villain named Hojo (Gordon Lieu) who is no Gabbar Singh or Mogambo.

Just an aging goon in a black suit who doesn't know it's bad manners to pee in public, specially in the hero's face.

Brutality when done with grace can be extremely arresting. We saw that recently in Ghajini. Chandni Chowk To China does the cause of cinematic violence a great deal of disservice.

The internationally-renowned action directors who pool in their might seem unsure of where to position the action. Perched on the Great Wall Of China, Akshay Kumar and his fellow fighters (and that includes the desi Lucy Lieu Deepika Padukone) slug it out like drunken revelers on a rowdy spree.

Elegance is in short supply in the film, except when Deepika playing twin sisters (told apart mainly by their hair, one of them perpetually forgets to braid it properly) waltzes in with a light step and twinkling eye. She seems to have fun. We don't. And that's mainly because the scriptwriter forgot to include the audience in his circle of entertainment.

Large chunks of this 'Adventures Of Sidhu in blunderland' saga leave us cold and unresponsive. And when the final climactic fight between the hero and the villain occurs, Akshay Kumar decides to turn it into a comic romp in the middle of the climac. We are more dazed than dazzled by the baffling mood swings in the plot.

Yes, there are moments that hold your attention. Sidhu's martial arts training with twin Deepika Padukone's Chinese dad (who looks like he could do with a wash) are superbly orchestrated.

That touch of unstrained comicality in stressful times that the narration apparently strives to achive, eludes the film by a wide margin. Most of the time you are looking at a film that does appalling things to Indo-Chinese relations. Not to mention our traditional perception of mainstream masala-maar ke entertainment.

Martial arts are turned into maar-saala arts. And you leave the film wondering what it was meant to be. A bird, a plane or just a pathetic parody of Jackie Chan's comic vendetta sagas.

Chandni Chowk To China isn't just no-brainer. Its lobotomized laughter can make you wish for anesthesia. At least you'd know where the numbness is coming from.

Shouryam - Movie Review

2008-09-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Film: Shouryam
Cast: Gopichand, Anushka, Poonam Kaur, Manoj K Jayan, Ajay, Ali, Dharmavarapu, Sudha, Sharat Babu, Krishna Baghavan, Raghu Babu and others
Dialogues: M Rathnam
Music: Manisharma
Cinematography: Vetri
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh
Art: Vivek
Action: Vijay, Ram-Lakshman, Selva
Executive producer: Anne Ravi
Produced by: V Ananda Prasad
Story, screenplay and directed by: Siva
Release date: September 25, 2008
CBFC Rating: U/A

What’s it about!

Vijay (Gopichand) comes to Kolkata in search of his lost sister (Poonam Kaur). He finds his sister but refuses to admit to his identity fearing she would hate him. When his father died, he disowns her deliberately hoping that she would be well off in the Christian orphanage than living with him in penury. That leaves scar on her mind and starts hating her brother. To win her love and save her from some ‘goons’, he comes to Kolkata and there he meets a naughty college student Swetha (Anushka). Soon, romance blossoms between them. On parallel, a don called Shivarama Krishna Gowd (Manoj K Jayan) in Hyderabad is on mission to find Vijay and he sends his men to Kolkata. The link between Gowd and Vijay is told in a flashback.

Analysis

Gopichand has earned an action hero image with films like Yagnam and Lakshyam. After seeing negative result for his experiment movie, Ontari, he comes back to what he does best – masala film with action and sentiment. The best part in Shouryam is comedy that has worked. Ali’s comedy part and Krishna Baghavan – Raghu Babu’s comedy episode are best part in this action sentiment drama. They are more enjoyable. But the story and execution treads similar path of ‘regular mass films’. First half is executed well but second half is lengthy.

On the downside, the film is pretty predictable and music is big letdown. Don't look for freshness. Also, the film has influences of several movies like Pokiri, Samarasinha Reddy, etc. On the whole the movie is okay and serves rightly to its target Mass audiences.

Performances

Gopichand cakewalks through this role of a tough guy fighting against a dreaded don. He dons the role of cop in the movie but he hardly is seen in the Khaki dresses. He exhibits his ‘strength’ once again in dialogue delivery. Anushka is only there to provide skin show and she does it without much hesitation. Manoj K Jayan’s performance in the final in the second half is praiseworthy. Poonam Kaur as sister to Gopichand is cute but has not much role to do. Ali as Gymson and Krishna Baghavan in the role of a doctor steal the show with their hilarious comedy.

Music by Manisharma is big minus. Camerawork is okay. Cinematographer turned director Shiva seems to have good comedy flair. His narration in the first half is appreciable.

Bottom-line

Shouryam runs in typical of Gopichand’s earlier films but this time it has better comedy and some hilarious moments. Despite familiar storyline and treatment, it is watchable. Second half and music should have better, but on the whole it is okay movie.

Saas Bahu Aur Sensex Review

2008-09-23T05:32:00.000-07:00

Shona Urvashi made her directorial debut in 2003 with Chupke Se. After a long hiatus she makes a comeback with Hollywood giant Warner Bros. Pictures sharing their banner along with PLA Entertainment Pvt. Ltd for her new flick "Saas Bahu Aur Sensex". The movie has a diverse mix of young neophytes like Ankur Khanna, Tanushree Datta & Masumeh Makhija along with seasoned actors like Kirron Kher, Farooq Shaikh and Lillette Dubey amongst others. With an unusual and unique story, backdrop of Sensex running parallel with a love triangle of the young ones, novel treatment and low making cost like 'Bheja Fry' and 'Mithya', does 'Saas Bahu Aur Sensex' work?

After her divorce with her husband, Vinita Sen (Kirron Kher) and her daughter Nitya Sen (Tanushree Dutta) are forced to shift from Kolkata to Navi Mumbai. Nitya abandons her ambition of studying MBA in US and with the help of her newly found friend Ritesh she manages to get a job in a call center. Meanwhile, keen to start a new life for her daughter, Vinita adapts a new lifestyle - she starts going to kitty parties and also takes a plunge into the volatile world of stock markets with the help of a stockbroker, Firoz Sethna (Farouque Shaikh).

Ritesh (Ankur Khanna) is head over heels in love with a colleague cum locality friend Kirti (Masumeh Makhija), a middle class girl who dreams of becoming big in life by marrying a billionaire, Yash Modi (Sudhanshu Pandey) who owns the call center they work for.

The movie is about how housewives indulge in investing in the roaring stock market with an intention to make quick money and the love triangle between Ritesh, Kirti and Nitya.

Shona has the talent but needs to be nurtured. Saar Bahu Aur Sensex has a unique theme, but the pitfalls in the narrative let it down. Any which way, Shona manages to convey the message, the theme of the movie, of encouraging housewives and in general everyone to invest in stocks for the progress of the nation, but also criticizes its monetary manipulation on human mind as the movie nears the climax.

Saas Bahu Aur Sensex has no hero, no heroine, rather a number of characters who come face to face due to some connection that develops with one or the other. The first half of the movie is entertaining and has few comic moments that kindle laughter, but as the reels unfold and the film indulges itself deeply into the share market and the perplexity in the love triangle, the storyline starts dragging and gets tedious to sit through. Not just that, the movie has a lot of dubious situations. How is it possible that everyone from that residential apartment work in the same department of a company? With many such situations and too many fluctuations in the market, the entertainment quotient in the movie goes for a toss. If the narrative was kept short for say 1 hr and 30 min, the movie would have made a better impact. The music is nothing worth mentioning. The only thing good about the tracks is that, no track was longer than a minute, which helps not to break the continuity of the movie.

Amidst all the performances, Udayan Mukherjee - India's most famous financial analyst and television presenter of CNBC, stays back in your mind due to the archived footage given to him by flashing him after almost every scene.

Farooq Sheikh is once again back on the big screen after a long time. He has immense talent, but is wasted in this movie. Kirron Kher is competent but again this role isn't something challenging for her talent. Unlikely, Tanushree Dutta is less glamour but as usual no talent, poor acting. Ankur is okay. Masumeh in a glam role has nothing much to offer. Lilette Dubey and Sharon Prabhakar manage to make their presence felt.

On the whole, investing your time on Saas Bahu Aur Sensex might not reap you huge benefits but few moments of laughter is assured.

Ru Ba Ru Review

2008-09-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

Ru Ba Ru promises to be a simple love story directed by Arjun Bali starring Randeep Hooda and Shahana Goswami. Randeep Hooda last made an impact in D (2005) in a role of a gangster he excelled. How well does he carry the role of a love boy? Also, the chemistry between the lead pair is so vital in a romantic movie. Shahana Goswami of the recent Rock On fame is Randeep Hooda leading lady.

Ru-Ba-Ru is a modern day story of two ambitious individuals finding their destiny through the greatest human manifestation love, but of course with a twist! The film revolves around a modern couple Tara (Shahana Goswami) and Nikhil (Randeep Hooda) who are in love; Tara wants to cement the relationship by seeking commitment in marriage. But Nikhil, a workaholic, is always pre-occupied with his clients and work and he is happy with the way things are between the two of them. The trouble in paradise starts off with Nikhil constantly forgetting small little things that make a relationship work. He starts taking his girlfriend, her family and friends for granted. And the day comes when Tara cannot take it anymore. As she decides to take matters in her own hand, a strange magical, mystical force intervenes, and the drama unfolds!

Yet another Bollywood film that is heavily inspired by an English movie. The makers of Ru Ba Ru are clearly inspired by If Only (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Vanilla Sky (Tom Cruise). It is unfortunate that Bollywood lacks good original writers.

Anyway, if you're married or in a relationship for quite some time now, you could give Ru Ba Ru a try. The director has skillfully managed to show how some long terms relationships lack love, as other priorities in life have now taken over. The message the movie puts forward is live life for today, not for tomorrow!

But if you expect Ru Ba Ru to be a love story devoid of typical Bollywood masala, you will be sorely disappointed as it suffers mainly due to the over the top and unrealistic masala scenes. The action begins only after the accident, nothing much happens in the first half. The post interval portions are good with Nikhil's (Randeep Hooda's character) desperation convincingly shown. The music is average. None of the songs stands out.

Shahana Goswani who made her debut in Rock On... continues to rock! Her performance itself makes Ru Ba Ru worth a watch in theatre. She is a very talented actress and should have a promising future with the right roles. Randeep Hooda is good, but his body language and looks are better suited for darker roles. Jayant Kriplani is good. Rati Agnihotri is wasted.

To sum up, Ru Ba Ru works to a certain extent if you walk in with zero expectations. A few unnecessary scenes ruin what could have been a much better watch.

Singh is King Movie Review

2008-08-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Singh Is King is one of the most hyped Bollywood movies in recent times. There are several reasons for the hype

1. Akshay Kumar, the superstar, is the biggest reason for all the hype surrounding the movie. Akshay’s fan following has increased tremendously in the past 2 years. Also his pairing with co-star Katrina Kaif has created box-office magic in the past.
2. The movie is directed by Anees Bazmee whose last two movies, No Entry and Welcome, were box office Blockbusters.
3. Producer Vipul Amruthlal Shah has left no stone unturned in promoting the movie. More than 5 crores has been spent just on promotion.

Is Singh Is Kinng worth all the hype it has generated over the past few weeks? Well to a certain extent, Yes.

First the story. Singh is Kinng is about Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar) a simpleton, from a village in Punjab, with a heart of gold. He always tries to do good, but exactly the opposite happens. He tries to help a villager and ends up ruining the whole village. Frustrated the villagers decide to send him far away to Australia, to bring back Lakhan Singh a.k.a Lucky, an underworld don in Australia.

But as always when Happy Singh sets out to do good, he does the opposite. Happy accompanied by his friend Tony land in Egypt instead of Australia. Here Happy meets Sonia (Katrina Kaif) and falls head over heels in love, at first sight.

Happy then makes his way to Australia. Without any money, Happy and Tony starve for days until Happy bumps into Rose Lady (Kirron Kher) who gives him a place to stay and food to eat. Happy then meets King Lucky, but due to an attack on the gang, Lucky is hurt and now cannot speak a word. After a lot of confusion, Happy is crowned the King (don) of the dangerous underworld gang. After a series of comical errors and misadventures, Sonia turns out to be Rose Lady’s daughter who returns to Australia with her boyfriend (Ranvir Shorey).

Does Happy end up with Sonia or does she marry her boyfriend? Does Happy succeed in taking Lucky back to his village in Punjab? Forms the rest of the hilarious tale.
Singh Is King Review

Singh is King is a perfect example of a great first half ruined by an average second. The pre-interval portions of the movie are filled with hilarious scenes.

* Happy chasing a chicken only to end up ruining the whole village is side-splitting.
* The scenes between Tony and Happy in Egypt and Australia. The dialogues are rib tickling, especially a few by Tony (Om Puri).
* The way Singh (Happy) becomes King is brilliantly written, enacted and executed.

After the extremely entertaining first half, you expect an even better second. Unfortunately, it pales in comparison. The song picturised on Javeed Jaffrey was unnecessary. Also the lack of scenes between Tony and Happy is a negative as their chemistry was brilliant. The climax seemed to be hurried up and before you realise the movie comes to an abrupt end.

Another aspect that could go against the movie is, at times it’s hard to understand the Punjabi dialogues. Also at times in the first half, the voice is not in sync with the lip movement. Wonder why such minor flaws are overlooked in an A grade bollywood movie.

The music is above average. Few songs like ‘Teri Ore’ and ‘Singh is King’ title track standout.

Singh Is King Performances

Akshay Kumar is a great entertainer, he puts his heart and soul into the character of Happy. His comic timing is as good as ever. Katrina Kaif does exactly what’s required of her; she manages to look great in every scene. Must say, her smile has a very pleasing effect on the viewer. She’s also looking better with each passing film. Om Puri is brilliant and his chemistry with Akshay Kumar is one of the reasons to watch the movie. Sonu Sood has improved a lot acting wise since his debut in B grade flicks. Neha Dhupia looks hot, does a decent job. Javeed Jaffrey is funny. The rest of the character actors are good.

Singh Is King Verdict

Overall Singh is King is a typical Akshay Kumar mindless entertainer which has a great first half, beautifully picturised songs and a gorgeous Katrina Kaif. But what makes Singh is King more worthwhile is Akshay Kumar, who holds the movie together, well supported by Om Puri.

If your are a die hard Akshay fan and enjoyed his movies like Welcome, Heyy Babyy last year, dont think twice.. Just go for it! Others can wait for the DVD.

Ill go with 3 on 5 for the most hyped movie of the year!

Mission Istanbul Movie Review: Istan-bull!

2008-07-26T00:30:00.001-07:00

Mission Istanbul is a movie that lacks all logic and is a sheer disappointment. It does not go the thrill way, there is no espionage drama, focusing on execution of terrorist operations. It does not even go the emotional way, into the psyche of the news reporter who is the protagonist of the movie. In fact, the movie goes nowhere and looks like a B grade movie with the backdrop as Istanbul.Story of Mission Istanbul:

The excuse of a hero Vikas Sagar(Zayed Khan) who is supposed to be one of the best journos in India accepts a 3 month assignment from Al-Johara, a controversial Istanbul based news channel. At about the same time, Vikas is about to divorce his news caster wife Anjali (Shreya Saran). In Istanbul, Vikas meets Oswais Shah(Suniel Shetty) the head of the news channel and Ghazni(Nikitan Dheer), the boss of Al-johara channel.

Oswais is bumped off in Afganistan. Vikas happens to meet a disappearing character called Rizwan (Viveik Oberoi) at Oswais’ funeral. Rizwan is a Turkish commander who had lost his family in terrorist attack and now wants to protect Vikas(pray why!) Rizwan lets Vikas know that the news channel head Ghajini is behind all the killings and terrorist attacks. The reporter Vikas turns into a hacker and goes to the dreaded 13th floor of the channel building to hack all confidential data of Al Johara and put it in his pen drive. There are lot of pointless chases and dishum dishums, with gun shots and bombs exploding everywhere without any need. To sum up, the erroneous story comes with the premise that Al Johara channel has taken the idea of the dead dreaded terrorist Abu Nazir and is deliberately keeping terrorism and fundamentalist ideologies alive in his name.

Technicalities:
Some of the actions scenes are good although they are not the best you’ve seen. The editing is slick but that is the only feature that warrants a comment. Nothing else impresses.

Best scenes of Mission Istanbul:
The End (we are not kidding)

Minus points of Mission Istanbul:
1. Mission Istanbul looks like a vehicle to promote sponsoring brands Mountain Dew and Aaj Tak News Channel.

2. Extremely irritating songs and to more woe, they crop up at the wrong times. Abhishek Bachchan’s item number is pathetic.

3. One cant digest a scholarly looking news reporter fighting, like an ace army man attacking and killing terrorists. Farfetched to the core. Also he is shown to hack confidential high end systems like piece of cake, even “unlocking the password” like it is nobody else’s business.

4. Pathetic direction. Meandering plot. Can’t believe it is the same guy who made Shoot out at Lokhandwala. Or was that Sanjay Gupta?

5. The George Bush duplicate used in the movie is totally irrelevant. Forget making fun of George Bush, his scenes look forced and totally out of the place. Though it is meant to be humorous, nobody in the theatre really laughed.

6. The pack-a-punch dialogues that was reminiscent in Shoot out at Lokhandwala is missing in Mission Istanbul.

Performances:

Most of the films released in 2008 have been pathetic ventures and Mission Istanbul is no less. But some of these flops films had good performances but Mission Istanbul falters the most in histrionics department. The acting is very amateurish. Zayed Khan acts dumb, in fact, he should only do a dumb man’s role because whenever he opens his mouth, it is tragedy. Shweta Bharadwaj can’t act to save her life. Shreya Saran disappoints too. The dependable Viveik Oberoi may have been right in grousing that he didn’t get enough roles. He tries hard but the weak characterization of the role fails him. Thank God, Suniel Shetty made a wise decision as a producer, to give a brief performance only.

Conclusion: Mission Istanbul suffers from weak characterizations and a bad plot. It isolates the viewers from the thick of things. At no point does the viewer feel connected to the script. Suniel anna, you have got brains, please invest in good cinema. Looks like Tashan and Love Story 2050 has competition!

De Taali Movie Review

2008-07-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

Friendship: a relationship Indian cinema has explored countless times. In fact some of our classic movies are based on this theme, whether it's Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander, Dil To Pagal Hai or Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. These are your typical filmi depictions of friendship. E Niwas and Abbas Tyrewala now bring to you friendship with a twist. How far would you go to stop a friend from making the biggest mistake of his life?

De Taali is the story of Abhi (Aftab Shivdasani), Paglu (Riteish Deshmukh) and Amu (Ayesha Takia), an inseparable trio that have a fourteen year old friendship. But hold on! If you're expecting a 'rona-dhona' style of friendship where they die for each other then hold up! De Taali is as realistic as friendship gets on celluloid. Life for the three is smooth until after Abhi's 31st breakup Paglu starts feeling that the reason his friend has never found the perfect girl is because the perfect girl is his best friend. He is sure that Abhi too will realize this and even convinces Amu who innocently and hopelessly falls in love with the idea of Abhi and her. But then comes a mighty twist in the form of Kartika, or Anjali (Rimi Sen). She is Abhi's 32nd relationship and Abhi is still far from realizing that Amu is the ideal girl for him. What happens next is two friends desperate battle to save Abhi from committing the biggest mistake of his life!

This film showcases friendship in an entirely new avatar. It actually admits that sometimes lies and secrets are needed to keep a friend safe. E Niwas' creativity probably won't be accepted right away because audiences want yet another typical dosti flick with friends-forever tracks and emotional teary climaxes. But De Taali delivers something totally different, emerging from a new genre we like to call drama-edy. The core of the movie is drama. However, the packaging is comedic and this may not work in favour of the film. For Indian cinema, this genre is still growing and has yet to be whole-heartedly accepted by audiences. As usual, E. Niwas is up for trying something new and for those who love a refreshing storyline and a great laugh De Taali will definitely click with them.

The movie is filled with surprises, the first one being that Rimi Sen can indeed act! The actress shows immense amount of potential especially in the scene after Kartika's secret is revealed. It makes it rather devastating to look back at all the movies in which she has been wasted. We hope to see her doing more of such roles. The second surprise is that Riteish Deshmukh is not just made for comedy. The actor gets a chance to show a different side to his talent, not drastically, but definitely enough to convince people that he cannot be typecasted.

Aftab Shivdasani proves again and again that he is talented but still somehow seems to get left behind in the rat race. One can only hope one day in the near future he'll shine like he deserves to. He gets limited scope thanks to scene-stealer Riteish but still leaves an impact.

It is a well established fact now that Ayesha Takia is a bundle of talent. The actress is top notch once again and looks great. Her comic timing is excellent and proves to be a big asset in proving her versatility. She is quickly proving to be a chameleon as she transforms beautifully in any role.

Dialogues are the key to success in a comedy and Abbas Tyrewala crafts them well. Screenplay is adequate, barring in mind some unneeded scenes. Vishal and Shekhar's musical style goes well with the movie and its look. Picturization of both title tracks is impressive. Special mention needs to be made to the chemistry shared amongst all the actors which is brilliant, in particular the chemistry between Ritiesh and Ayesha and Riteish and Rimi.

On the whole E. Niwas' creative mind will take a while for audiences to get used to. My Name is Anthony Gonsalves had the same problem at the box office and possibly De Taali might as well. However, the comic packaging of the movie and the familiar faces will definitely prove to be an asset. We on the other hand definitely recommend giving the movie a shot.

2008-07-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

Apoorva Lakhia's Mission Istanbul roars into theaters this July 11th. It is a full-on action thriller that stars Zayed Khan, Suniel Shetty, Shabbir Ahluwalia, Shreya Saran, Nikitin Dheer and Vivek Oberoi. As you can tell by the title, the film is set in Turkey, so the music for the film has a Bollywood, R&B, Turkish flavored mix. Lakhia used not just one music director but four: Mika Singh, Shamir Tandon, Chirantan Bhatt and Anu Malik. Each song has its own style and it all fits together to make a soundtrack that after a few listens is quite good. Great? No, but pretty good.

Shamir Tandon is the music director for World Hold On World Hold On, and he is backed by lyricist Shabbir Ahmed. The track begins with a heavy synthesizer beat that goes on a bit to long (it feels like the CD is skipping), but it gets much better when the voices of Kunal Ganjawala, Gayatri Ganjawala and Raaj come in and join a thumpin' beat. The refrain grooves, with the World Hold On lyrics and the back-up beat. A very club song, you can imagine dancing to it with the flashing lights and the bodies moving on the dance floor. Nothing outstanding, but a good song to get your groove on. From the promo, it looks like this is the song that will feature belly dancer Tanyeli, but we will have to wait to see the movie to know. I have mixed feelings about the remix - as I listened I kept changing my mind about it - but overall it is a cool remix that takes in parts of the songs from the entire album. There are some really terrific sections and some others not so much. Give it a listen and you can decide. I am still not sure.

Mission Mission is written and sung by Hamza Faruqui and has Chirantan Bhatt as the music director. Now Mission could be a great song except for one thing, and this may seem picky, but the odd pronunciation of the word Mission ("MEEshun") really does distract you, and it is almost annoying. Maybe it should have been 'Operation Istanbul'? The other English lyrics are also not that great, or maybe it is just that they don't fit into the cadence of the song. The inflections of the singers on the lyrics are brill but the lyrics themselves do not work. Besides that, the song totally rocks in the musical sense. The score and the club/rock beat definitely give you the feeling that you will be seeing an action film. I would give the song a thumbs up for the music and singers but a hmmmm for the lyrics.

Jo Gumshuda is composed by Anu Mallik and not only has Shaan and Mahalakshmi Iyer, but also the addition of the Turkish singer Ege. Ege totally steals the track with his voice and amazing guitar playing… I could have just listened to him for the whole thing. Ege said, "It was a wonderful and a new experience to join hands with the Indian film industry and render such a beautiful song. The way in which Apoorva explained the number didn't let me have second thoughts about singing it." When Shann and Mahalakshmi come in they make the song their own as well, and you like it even more. A beautifully composed track, it is a mixture of percussion, orchestra and Ege's guitar that blends Bollywood, Turkish and western flavors wonderfully. I loved the musical refrain; it has such a cool sound with the mixture of all the styles. This track is the best of them all, a must add to your bollymix playlist or a song to start a new one like bollymix 2. (Though if you are like me you are probably on bollymix 25.) There is a remix, and if you had not heard the original, this mix would be really excellent. I prefer the original, but don't skip the remix: give it a listen because it's worth it.

Javed Ali and Sunidhi Chauhan are the voices of Yaar Mera Dildaara. The track has lyrics by Sameer and is the second track composed by Anu Malik. The haunting flute at the beginning is really wonderful and then amazing percussion joins in making you sit up and say, nice! It too has the Turkish flavor and Javed sings the song with great intonation and energy. Of course, you can always recognize Sunidhi Chauhan, and she infuses the track with her great voice; she makes the song even better. It will get your head dancing and maybe your feet too. A song that gets better with each listen, it made it to the playlist as well.

Mika Singh of 'Mauja Mauja' (Jab We Met) and 'Ganpat' (Shootout At Lokhandwala) fame has triple duty on Apun Ke Saath. He is the composer, lyricist and singer. His deep voice is joined by Pretti and Priya and they are all fab. This too has the Mission lyric that does not quite work, but then it expands to other lyrics and is another wicked track. It is an R&B flavored song that has lots of cool sections. It has a pounding beat, but it also is a mix of many different musical styles and they all work together to make a great song. Love the 'hahahahaaaaa'. Definitely could see gorgeous Vivek dancing to this. Tt may just be a background song since Vivek himself said, "Music of the film has been used very intelligently. It's not that suddenly the narrative stops, and a song is inserted. It is used in the backdrops. The story has international flavour so we didn't want to create any breaks. It is a non-traditional script." It will be interesting to see when this appears in the film.

Nobody Like You is sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Anoushka and Ishq Bector. With Chirantan Bhatt as music director again, the lyrics are by Hamza Faruqui and Ishq Bector. This is actually one song where the English lyrics don't sound ridiculous as they have in so many songs we have heard recently. They are not bad and are sung excellently by the singers. It has a fast beat that backs up their voices well. I enjoyed listening to this one. The remix is less club, purer, and I liked it just as much or more. The remixes on this album are making me change my mind about them being included on soundtracks.

On first listen, the tracks of Mission Istanbul seem just OK, but then they grow on you, and several of them are ones that you will want to hear again and again. Jo Gumshuda stands out as one of the best and the rest hold their own, winding up to be a good set of songs to listen to. Is it outstanding? Well, no, but I would recommend listening to it once or twice, see the movie, and then give it a listen again - I am sure you will like it.

Ugly aur Pagli Music Review

2008-07-25T00:12:00.001-07:00

Mallika Sherawat has the tendency to be part of some of the most bizarre couples on-screen, having been paired with Nana Patekar, Rahul Bose and Akshaye Khanna — none of which look particularly great with her. In her next, Ugly aur Pagli, she reprises the role of 'Pagli' while Ranvir Shorey does the honours as 'Ugly'.

As for the soundtrack, Anu Malik, who hadn't seen a release for quite some time, is currently witnessing the release of several of his albums all at once. Though they aren't really 'classic Malik' à la Main Hoon Na, Umrao Jaan or Jaan-e-Mann they are getting progressively better with each release.

The album opens on a rocking note with Talli! which will most certainly emerge a hit in the club scene which it seems ideal for. What's most interesting is the fact that Anmol Malik takes control of the track and makes a complete turnaround from her work in 'Agle Janam' from Umrao Jaan. It's incredibly hard to believe that this husky voice is the same one that crooned the soft number just a few years ago. Along with Hard Kaur and Mika Singh, she takes this dance tracks to new heights with her fresh voice. Keep in mind that the song doesn't win you over immediately; it takes a few listens before the chorus starts to repeat itself in your head. From that point onwards — you're hooked!

The Talli Remix by DJ Amyth is like any other remix — faster, racier and heavier beats. In that sense, it's everything a remix should be, but naturally the original is slightly better.

Karle Gunaah isn't a bad track and one would like to applaud Anu Malik for doing something different — not! Why, you ask? Simply because he has stolen bits and pieces of this track from the Western hit 'Gasolina' by Daddy Yankee. Seriously, I thought the days of Anu Malik stealing tracks were over. Guess not! In some sections, his work seems original, while the beats are still lifted. Anushka Manchanda has a great voice and Ishq Bector sounds almost identical to Daddy Yankee. It reappears with a different singer, but the tune isn't much different and one wonders why that track was needed in the first place. With shades of a Western track, this one is simply decent and really deserves no acclaim because it's entirely unoriginal.

The next track is feel-good and may not go down as a classic, but it serves its purpose well! Titled Yeh Nazar, Sunidhi Chauhan gets the majority of this track while Shaan comes in later. Both singers do a decent job, but the track isn't too challenging to sing and it's clear that they breeze through it. Nevertheless, it's not a track that you want to skip and it's fun while it lasts!

As in most of his albums, Malik himself is present vocally in one track. In this case, it's Shut up, Aa Nachle! with Vasundhara Das accompanying him. With a Spanish flavour as its foundation, the track turns out to be pretty exciting despite Malik's irritating vocals. The song would have been much better if another singer was doing the honours! Still, it's peppy, it keeps you listening for its five minute duration and there's nothing particularly horrible about it. If you're looking for pure melody, this certainly isn't for you, but once again, it's enjoyable!

On a more sombre note comes Yaad Teri Aaye which turns out to be a very well-crafted track courtesy of simple music by Anu Malik, perfect lyrics by Amitabh Verma and a soothing rendition by Mohit Chauhan. With all the other tracks in the album being relatively fast-paced, this one brings everything to a close quite well and should work extremely well on-screen during emotional moments.

It may not be sheer melody, magic or anything extraordinary, but there is no horrible track in this album. Perhaps the worst off is 'Karle Gunaah' which is clearly "inspired" even though it may go on to become a hit. 'Talli' will rapidly crawl the charts and the younger crowd will lap it up completely. Out of the recently released Malik albums (Anamika, Love Story 2050, Mission Istanbul), this one is probably the best because it keeps to the film's mood well and brings some feel-good tracks to the table.

Money Hai Toh Honey Hai Music Review

2008-07-25T00:12:00.000-07:00

Money Hai Toh Honey Hai, directed by choreographer-turned-director Ganesh Acharya, is a comedy brimming with stars, including Govinda, Manoj Bajpai, Celina Jaitley, Aftab Shivdasani, Ravi Kishan, Upen Patel, Kim Sharma, Hansika Motwani and Isha Koppikar. Nitin Arora and Sony Chandy headed up the musical direction for the soundtrack, and Sameer penned the lyrics. The trend these days among composers seems to be to try something new; on some albums this has worked and on some albums it has not. For this film’s soundtrack, Arora and Chandy packed a very mixed bag with 2 straight-up Indian tracks, 2 western songs and the other four aspiring to be hip hop. The hip-hop songs definitely did not work, three others were pretty good, but only one was pure music! One must admire thinking outside the box, but as you listen to the album you wish that on a few songs they had not gone so far out! Let’s take a look at the great, the OK and the bad, and rate each song separately.

Nitz’N’Sony and Harshdeep Kaur performed the title track Money Hai Toh Honey Hai. It is very hard to describe - it’s one of those tracks where you wish they had stayed more within the lines. It starts off very oriental but gets a bit more odd because your hear an engine-start whining as part of the beat and some ear-drilling bird sound. It gets better when the percussion line joins in with its thumpin’ beat and some techno thrown in as well. If it were just this section you would think it was a pretty cool song and actually think the car sound is a cool addition, but then it changes again and becomes a jumble. The refrain is not too bad but it is repeated too many times. It had some OK sections, but I cannot say some of the sounds were music. It makes you wonder what were they thinking. I hope this song is not an indication of what the movie is going to be like. 1 star
Awaara Dil has a cast of singers almost as big as the cast of the actors. On the track you hear Adnan Sami, Shruti Pathak, Nitz'N'Sony, Arya, Bob, Ishq and Shantanu Hudlikar. Like the title song, the composer decided to add in an interesting sound, this time a creaking door. But besides that oddity, the back up music is great. There is a splendid piano and the back up beat just stomps. Of course, one always recognizes the brilliant Adnan Sami, and he makes the song worth listening to! There is also a rap section with a reggae flavor that is good, but they put too many sounds in one song along with too many different sections that did not fit together. There are high screaming notes and another loud rap as well as other voices. The ding da ding was another bit that was out of place in the song. They should have kept it simple - it is just a huge mess of a song. It was terrific vocally and musically but with so many varied sections. Overall, it just did not work. I would listen to it again for the Adnan parts and the back beat so I will give it a 2.5.
Labh Jhanjua & Sunidhi Chauhan sing the Indian-pulsed Chhuriyaan. They are both in good voice on the Punjabi flavored track. It has a bit of hip-hop but so little it is superfluous. It is a good song, and maybe I am listening top hard, but again there are some additional sounds that were just strange. Anything special? Nooo. Anything really wrong with it? Nooo... just OK! 2 stars

Ta Na Na with Kunal Ganjawala, Rekha Bhardwaj, Nitz'N'Sony, Earl E D & Arya is another “what were they thinking” song, and I would say the worst song on the album. It started off really groovy and when Kunal Ganjawala started singing I was excited, ...but then the 'ta na na whooooo' part came in and was sung over and over: it just was overdone. The track was another bunch of little parts, none of which meshed, like they could not decide what type of song they wanted. Not worth a second listen. 0.5 stars, I am sad to say.
I have to admit that when I first heard Rangeeli Raat, I thought I had heard it before recently. But then I remembered that it was not a different album, I had heard it during part of Govinda’s performance at IIFA. A very Punjabi bhangra influenced dance track, it is jammin' all the way through. Guaranteed to get you moving, it makes you want to join in dancing with the fab Chichi. Sung with pizzazz, Daler Mehndi keeps the pace going while the gorgeous voice of Sunidhi Chauhan adds some calmness that is great. An awesome track that redeems the album! 3 stars

No Big Deal by Suraj Jagan may not be everyone’s cup of chai, but if you like rock then you will love this song! I did! Suraj Jagan is a deep talent and sings smoothly, yet intensely. The music is brill: slow at first, then transforming to a full-on rock song with some orchestral backup. I didn’t mind the English lyrics for once, but some of you may because they are not exactly poetry. They fit the cadence well, and the inflection by Suraj was wonderful. Great music, great singer, what more could you want? I was ready to listen to it again right away but for some it may be too rocking. 3.5 leaning towards 4.
With Dance Master, we again have a “huh? What is this?”. There was some odd sound I could not identify in the beginning, and throughout the song there were grating noises and voices. The fast paced music was OK in parts, and Shaan and Sivamani sang the vocal line with energy. I did not care for the refrain at all. There was no direction to the song or even a single style, just a bit of this and a bit of that. I was ready for it to be over with still a minute forty left. Then all of a sudden at one minute to go, it became a completely different song for about 30 seconds... I have no idea why but it was jarring. Maybe this is one that will be explained when seen in the movie but I doubt it. 1.25.

With the last track on the album I was really hoping for a song that would really MAKE the album, and found it in an instrumental by Naveen and Mumbai Cine Strings. Hope is the BEST song on the album and one of the best tracks I have heard recently. The song reminds you of the new age artist Yanni. The music is simply superb. It is certainly not the average musical piece you hear in a movie, but something so much more. There are 2 outstanding flutes, as well as several other fantastic musical lines, all backed by a sensational orchestra. The music is played so well, it sings even without a singer. A brilliant composition, so full of sound it makes you feel like you are inside the music. My hope was granted; there was not a note out of place. It gets 5 stars all on its own from me! I will listen to this one again and again and again. They really got it so right with this one, and you wonder what happened on the rest of the album.

I do admire the effort by Nitin Arora and Sony Chandy to do something different, however they seemed to get lost on some of the songs with the style they were working in. It is fine to mix genres but you have to make sure the sections cohere into a track that the audience wants to put it on repeat, not one that makes them hit skip as soon as it starts. This album was quite a mixture, and it is very hard to come up with a final rating. Looking at the album as a whole, they went very wrong on three pieces, did average on three, one was great and Hope was a total triumph. So what is the final rating? 2.5 because when they were good, they were very good!

Love Story 2050 Hindi Movie Free

2008-07-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

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2008-07-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

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Movie Review : Mere Baap Pehle Aap

2008-07-11T00:07:00.001-07:00

Director :
Music :

Lyrics :
Starring : Priyadarshan
Vidyasagar, Tauseef Akhtar
Sameer
Akshaye Khanna, Naseruddin Shah, Shobhana, Paresh Rawal, Om Puri, Rajpal Yadav

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There is a clean look to this film; the comedy and the dialogues have no double meaning, a relief when you know every writer wants to cash in on 'sexual innuendos'. The acting is never 'over-the-top' say for a few actors and the timing in most scenes is just perfect. Yet, there is that extra something that takes the fizz out of this Priyadarshan flick. And it is easy to lay your finger on this irritant; it's the long length of the film.

I wonder what the editor, and director was thinking when they agreed upon this almost three-hour long fare. It's like an artist painting a good picture and not knowing where to stop, thus negating the impact of his great visual. It's like you are so in love with your work that you are constantly giving a few dabs of paint touch-up here and a few dabs there, which ultimately takes away the beauty. Same here with Priyadashan; had he called 'cut' after two hours, this here would have been a much different film. You cannot stretch humour for so long that the audience in the theatre wait for the film to end. When that thought crosses your mind, you know that the director has goofed up.

The film begins on a funny note and maintains the 'just in line humour' throughout thus eliciting laughs from the audience. The performance from Paresh Rawal, Akshaye Khanna, Rajpal Yadav and Genelia D'Souza is what good comedies are made of. The timing between these actors is perfect. Akshaye surprises with his comedy, while Genelia is a revelation. To hold your own against the likes of Paresh Rawal and Om Puri takes a lot and this girl comes out unscathed.

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The picturisation of songs and capturing of mood is first rate. The colours used and the elements framed in the lens is eye-catching. The songs are not that great but the music is peppy.

The movie is all about Janardhan Wishvanbhar Rane (Paresh Rane) and his son Gaurav (Akshaye Khanna). Rawal has single-handedly brought up his two sons, while one is married; Gaurav is like his father, always berating his dad for goofing up and keeping him away from his friend Madhav Mathur (Om Puri), who apparently is bad company. The 60-plus Mathur is always on the lookout for a young bride to get married. Mathur's to be wife had apparently ditched him during his 'saath pheras'.

The father-son relationship is beautifully captured. Both Paresh and Akshaye complement each other in this endearing relationship that sometimes borders on insanity. Add to it Mathur's influence that always finds his father in trouble. Shikha (Genelia D'Souza) completes the love interest in the film.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na Movie Review

2008-07-11T00:07:00.000-07:00

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Big bang for big bucks. That's my verdict. Aamir Khan and Mansoor Khan join together to recreate the magic of the Summer of 1988, QAYAMAT SE QAYAMAT TAK.

JAANE TU... YAA JAANE NA... is a simple love story repackaged with intelligence. The coup lies is in the casting, backed up by a simple narrative in flashback and held together with some mind-blowing music by the maestro himself - A R Rahman. Every character actor rocks. And it is plain to see that there is a casting director in place who has understood the subject and worked in close proximity with the producer and the director.

The group of friends on whom the story rests simply rock. Everyone knows their part and pitch in to compliment the other with their intrinsic characteristic etched out for them by the director. No one goes overboard here. There's Nirav Mehta (Jiggy), Alishka Varde (Bombs), Karan Makhija (Rotlu), and Sugandha Gargh (Shaleen). They together with Imran Khan (Jai Singh Rathore) and Genelia D'Souza (Aditi) form the core group that carries the film through.

The story begins when the four friends are on their way to the airport to fetch Jai and Aditi who are coming back from the US. They have with them a new member, Mala, Jiggy's girlfriend. Since the flight is delayed and Mala is confused as to why she came to the airport when she does not even know the two, the four decide to tell her a story. She agrees when told that this here is no ordinary love story. So along with Mala, director Abbas Tyrewala begins telling us the story of Jai and Aditi, two inseparable friends all through their college life and whom everyone thinks are serious about each other. When Aditi's parents broach the topic of marriage to Jai, everyone is in shock, because their friendship is truly platonic. Or is it?
Now for the performances. First Aamir Khan's nephew, Imran Khan. The boy stands tall, literally. He carries off the role with aplomb. As a Rathore who hates violence and as someone who is trying to find his footing in life, especially love, he brings to the fore every emotion one goes through at that age. Not overtly muscular, no great dancing steps, no stylish stubble to flaunt... just plain, simple 'boy next door' 'confused in love idiot' that he plays to the 'T'. Genelia had a tailor-made role to bite her teeth into. Here is a role any actor would want to grab with both hands, but she falls short.

Paresh Rawal (Inspector Wagmahare), Rajat Kapoor and Kitu Gidwani as Manjari's parents, Jayant Kriplani and Anuradha Patel (Aditi's parents), Ratna Pathak (Jai's mother) and Prateik Babbar (Amit) stand out in their small roles. Even Naseeruddin Shah, Jai's dead father has his moments from the 'frame' where his image is hung! Rawal is excellent, Sohail and Arbaaz as the cowboys who ride on horseback in the city are hilarious. Rajat and Kitu as the 'always fighting' couple give a telling performance while Jayant and Anuradha express well what every teenager's parents go through. Manjari holds her own in her few scenes as someone who is fiercely in love with her parents. Nirav as the Gujju lad is awesome, so is Sugandha. She has a striking screen presence and is a spontaneous actress. Prateik is a revelation. It shows that acting is indeed in the genes.

It's a complete love story with a few 'familiar' scenes. Overall, the approach is new. It hooks you from the first scene, until the last.

Another fruitful outing for Aamir Khan. This man certainly knows what he is doing.

Ratings : 4/5

Bollywood News

2008-07-10T23:17:00.000-07:00

Singh is Kinng Movie Review

2008-07-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

Music: Pritam
Guest Track: RDB (Rap by Snoop Dogg)
Producer: Vipul A. Shah
Director: Anees Bazmee

Singh Is Kinng, the most keenly awaited romantic comedy of 2008, revolves around a gang of crooks transformed by a good man and his selfless love for a pretty girl…

Lakhan Singh aka Lucky (Sonu Sood) is the ‘king’ of the Australian underworld accompanied by his associates (played by Javed Jaffrey, Neha Dhupia, Manoj Pahwa, Yashpal Sharma, Kamal Chopra and Sudhanshu Pande.)

Far away, in a small village in Punjab, where Lucky was born, there exists someone more notorious than him – Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar).

The village is fed up of his magnanimity, which has resulted in a number of hilariously disastrous situations. Out of desperation, they decide to send him on a long trip (that will keep him out of the village for a while!) to bring Lucky back to Punjab, as his despicable deeds were maligning their image in Australia.

The happy-go-lucky bumpkin, taking his mission a bit too seriously, embarks on his journey accompanied by his friend, Tony Singh (Om Puri), who hates Happy for dragging him into it.

The high point of his journey is his chance meeting with Sonia (Katrina Kaif) with whom he falls in love, but upon reaching his destination, things take a precarious turn as he runs into a series of comic misadventures, leaving him penniless. He is fortunate to find warmth and affection in an elderly lady (Kirron Kher) who helps him meet Lucky.

In a strange turn of events, an attempt on Lucky’s life is foiled by a well-intentioned Happy who fights off the attackers by risking his own life.

Following the hilarious altercation, Lucky lands up in hospital paralyzed, and Happy, unexpectedly, finds the tables turned on him when he is expected to assume the role of the new ‘kinng’!

The series of chaos, shocks and comic misunderstandings that ensue eventually result in redemption and an accidental wedding!

Shot in Punjab, Australia and Egypt, Singh Is Kinng marks superstar Akshay Kumar’s re-entry into the action-comedy minefield. With plenty of romance, glamour, laugh-aloud moments and chartbusting music, it promises to be one of the most appealing and entertaining motion pictures of 2008.

It comes from Vipul Shah and Anees Bazmee, the master-makers of blockbusters like Aankhen, Waqt, Namastey London, No Entry and Welcome.

Penelope Cruz to bare all with Ben Kingsley

2008-05-14T23:09:00.001-07:00

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz is setting pulses racing with her steamy new film, Elegy.

She appears alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, who plays a charismatic professor who loses his composure when he falls in love with a student half his age.

The star is no stranger to nudity - she has gone topless in more than eight films, including the Italian release Don't Move.

"Penelope has done screen nudity before and isn't shy about showing off her boobs and bum," The Sun quoted a film insider as saying.

"Movie fans are in for a real treat," the insider added.

Elegy is based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Philip Roths short novel The Dying Animal. The movie is about a passionate relationship between a celebrated college professor (Ben Kingsley) and a young woman (Penelope Cruz) whose beauty destabilizes him.

She admits her hairdresser mother, Encarna, and merchant father, Eduardo, aren't thrilled at her nude scenes.

She has said previously, "Going topless is not my favourite thing. It's a little tough for my parents."

The film, which also stars Debbie Harry, Dennis Hopper and Patricia Clarkson, is expected to be be released is the UK next month.

I apologize for sexy photos

2008-05-14T23:08:00.000-07:00

Teen idol Miley Cyrus, the fresh-faced star of Disney's "Hannah Montana" television franchise, has apologized for two sets of photos in which she flashes her bra, lies across a boy's lap, and appears semi-nude.

The 15-year-old churchgoing daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus said in a statement on Sunday that she was embarrassed about some photos released on the Internet and others to be published in Vanity Fair magazine.

The first series of photos, which circulated on the Internet last week, showed Cyrus draped over the lap of her then-boyfriend, her producer's son, while another showed her revealing part of her green bra.

She is also starring in some as-yet released shots by celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz in which she appears to be topless and wrapped in a blanket. These are set to be published in Vanity Fair magazine's June edition.

"For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed," Cyrus said in a statement published on People magazine's Web site.

The Disney Channel backed up the rising star saying in a statement that "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

No one from Vanity Fair was immediately available to comment.

But in a statement to the TV show "Entertainment Tonight," Vanity Fair defended itself.

"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley," said the magazine's statement.

Regarding the photos on the Internet, Cyrus said these were "silly, inappropriate shots" and she was sorry if she had disappointed anyone.

"I appreciate all the support of my fans, and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect," she said.

"Most of all, I have let myself down. I will learn from my mistakes and trust my support team. My family and my faith will guide me through my life's journey."

Late last year, some candid photos of Cyrus frolicking with a female friend during a sleepover raised some eyebrows. She said at the time that there was "nothing wrong" with those photos.

Cyrus rocketed to fame as "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel's TV show of the same name about a girl who leads a double life as a teenager and singing sensation.

Jennifer Aniston is falling in love again

2008-05-14T23:07:00.000-07:00

Jennifer Aniston is "falling in love" with singer-songwriter John Mayer, according to a report.

The 39-year-old actress was spotted on a romantic dinner date with Mayer, 30, last month in Miami, where she is currently filming her new movie Marley & Me. They have also been seen cuddling up together on a sun lounger at Aniston's hotel on South Beach.

A source close to Aniston told the Daily Mail: "She's really into John, and the nine year age difference doesn't bother her for a second. Jen's already telling friends she's falling in love with this guy."

Though Mayer has since returned to New York, the pal added: "Jen's really hoping he can spend more time in Miami with her. She just wants to see a lot more of him. This was definitely not a one-off thing as far as she's concerned."

Madonna uses the f-word on TV show

2008-05-14T23:06:00.000-07:00

Pop superstar Madonna, who performed in Britain recently, used the f-word twice on a TV show, which led to complaints.

The sun.co.uk reports that furious complaints followed the broadcast even though the viewers were warned that there might be strong language.

Madonna introduced her song 'Hung Up' on the show, saying, 'You guys are going to have to start f***ing it up out there 'cos I need to feel some love. I'm going to do an old song. But not too old. F**k the present. Let's live in the past.'

She had also caused controversy last year when she swore at the Live Earth gig.