PAAN SINGH TOMAR REVIEW

 

STARCAST:IRRFAN KHAN, MAHIE GILL

DIRECTOR :TIGMANSHU DHULIA

PRODUCER :RONNIE SCREWWALLA/UTV

RUNNING TIME : 140 MINUTES

Overall Impression of the movie:

Tigmanshu Dhulia has time and again proved that he is a master at narrating gripping tales. If you thought Sahib Biwi Aur Gulam was a flash in the pan, then you have to watch Paan Singh Tomar.You would agree that this is one of the finest biopics to come out in the history of cinema. This fact certainly augers well for our very own ‘tinsel town’ which finally appears to come of age. The movie had relatively zero buzz when it hit the 70 mm screen and this factor ultimately turns out to be a blessing in disguise. Without trying to be over the top or over preachy, Paan Singh Tomar manages to hold your attention from start to end with its clap inducing dialogues, unimaginable wit and tongue in cheek humour.

What’s it about:

Pan Singh Tomar is a biopic on the life of an Indian athlete who was initially a member of Army and later went on to winning several national medals as an athlete. However due to land disputes and betrayal from the hands of his close ones; his life takes a U turn. What follows is a series of events that mould his transformation from an innocent army soldier to a ruthless dacoit seeking revenge.

What’s good:

The way Tigmanshu builds up the plot is certainly a commendable effort. At the end of the film, we sympathise with the protagonist who served the nation but ultimately meets a sorry state. On various occasions, the director also manages to satirically take on the negligent attitude of government towards the sportsmen of our country (I am not talking about the cricketers here).The background score compliments the theme, the real life characterizations makes the screenplay vivid. Cinematography is effervescent. While the first half takes its own sweet time to emphasise on the growth of Paan Singh in the field, the second half gets a lot tenser with the dacoits and kidnapping coming into picture. Come to think of Irrfan Khan and you are lost for words. He certainly deserves an Oscar nomination for this. It’s amazing to analyse his career graph. With each passing film, he continues to surprise you and raise the bar. And after watching this film, I would certainly vouch for the fact that Paan Singh Tomar is his best performance till date. Another performance that deserves special mention is that of the journalist who takes Paan’s interview. He brings in the much needed humour quotient in the film through his lively expressions.

What’s bad:

Absolutely nothing. Some films are too heart touching to dissect and bring out flaws. Paan Singh Tomar is one such film. Period.

Me thinks:

All in all, this one is a must watch for one and all. You are missing a cinematic treat if you don’t catch it soon. It’s a small budget film but provides double the entertainment given by any star driven ‘hugely hyped’ films. This is one sincere and honest work that needs to be lauded and praised.

Tailpiece:

Watch out for the cheesy scenes between Irrfan and Mahie in the first hour of the movie. They are different, fresh and at the same time break you into a guffaw or two.

RATING: 5/5

BY ANUBHAV SHRIVASTAVA

Edited By Prannay Jha

KAHAANI REVIEW

CAST: VIDYA BALAN,PARAMBRATA CHATTERJEE,NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI

DIRECTOR:SUJOY GHOSH

PRODUCER :KUSHAL GADA,SUJOY GHOSH

RUNNING TIME :115 MINUTES

Overall impression of the movie:

Sujoy Ghosh has never been a master story teller. His last attempt “Aladdin” blew up in his face despite having an impressive star cast. But thankfully, he has played a masterstroke this time around by roping in Vidya Balan (who is on cloud nine at the moment, courtesy the national award). As a result of all this, expectations are bound to touch sky when the ushers prod you nonchalantly to your respective seats. The promotions have been low key. Yet, there is something which makes you sit back. And to say the least, the suspense element works, a far cry from the nonsensical mystery plots we have been exposed to in history. Each of the characters uses smokes and mirrors to keep the audience guessing and glued to their seats. The screen play looks extremely taut and specious. There are many moments that will send shivers down your spine! Overall, I would say this is possibly the best suspense Bollywood movie to come out this decade.

What’s it about

Few terrorists plan a metro attack which kills around 200 people. Two years down the line; a pregnant woman travels to Kolkata from London to unravel the mystery behind her lost husband. Few say he doesn’t exist, while others believe he left her. From here on starts the game of perfidy where each character remains under the shadows and tries to keep the truth a ‘secret’

What’s good:

Well if I go on writing about all the positives, I might end up writing an essay, so let me point out the major ones. The biggest strength of this movie is its story which moves at a relentless speed. The direction is smart. It’s quite a task enrapturing the essence of Calcutta in a film like this, where focus is towards the “action”. But the cinematographer does a marvellous job. Vidya Balan yet again packs a solid punch. Her portrayal of a helpless but determined pregnant woman is easily one of her finest performances. I foresee one more award in her kitty. She is extremely convincing as an NRI woman who is determined to seek justice in spite of being bamboozled by government bureaucrats. The background score is apt and provides the much needed “eerie effect” required for such thrillers.

What’s Bad:

You really need to watch this movie twice to bring out any major flaws. The director doesn’t even take any cinematic liberties in the narrative; nor is there any unwanted song hindering the pace. However, you may notice a few scenes in the second half that are stretched or over explanatory.

Me thinks:

Ok, the opening of this movie hasn’t been great. But the movie overall boasts of a number of factors that work for its favour. And with the positive word of mouth coming from all the corners, this one is surely going to pick up speed in the coming weekend. The movie is yet another testimony of the fact that a skilful actress can easily carry the whole movie on her shoulders and can break all the stereotypes associated with the Bollywood heroine. This one is a must watch; too good to be unnoticed or avoided.

Tailpiece:

Watch out for the sequence just before the interval. You might not feel like leaving the hall for coke/popcorn after that scene. 😀

RATING : 4.5/5

By,
Anubhav Shrivastava

Sub Edited by: Prannay Jha

EK MAIN AUR EKK TU: Review

CAST: KAREENA KAPOOR, IMRAN KHAN, BOMAN IRANI

DIRECTOR: SHAKUN BATRA

PRODUCER: KARAN JOHAR

RUNNING TIME: 1.50 HOURS

 

Overall impression of the movie

Dharma productions’ love stories have always been candy floss tear jerkers, a far cry from reality. However debutant director Shakun Batra springs in a pleasant surprise here in his latest venture mingling confused love with friendship. The focus is aptly on a realistic tale defying all the stereotypes. The film relies heavily on situational scenes and dialogues between the leads, instead of the inordinate clichés. The chemistry is as sizzling as a steacum.Overall; the movie certainly manages to exalt the bar for Bollywood rom-coms.

What it is about:

Two strangers meet and get drunk on a Christmas Eve. Following this night of debauchery, they wake up to discover that they have gotten married. They both decide to get it annulled as soon as possible. Over the next ten days they have their share of arguments; moments and laugh that results in an unlikely friendship .The two in question here have strikingly contrasting natures. One is a bubbly full of life girl while the other is a diffident and amenable young man who is treading water for quite some time now. Will this friendship ultimately lead to love?

What is good:

The star cast leads from the front. Each one shines. Imran Khan, who seems to have a penchant for love stories, has certainly made headway as an actor. Watch out for his outburst in the dinner scene.Kareena Kapoor is strinkingly charming; changing her expressions with the rapidity of a kaleidoscope.Boman Irani is delightful as a businessman whose life is as impassive as a statue. The visuals ingenuously give life to the story. The humour quotient surprisingly packs a heavy punch keeping the viewer in splits .The editing is extremely crisp. The penultimate reels are capricious and kudos to Shakun Batra for that.

What is Bad:

The music is below average and doesn’t blend with the narrative. The talented Amit Trivedi certainly could have done a better job. Apart from that, there is not much to complain.

Me Thinks:

The movie is a light, breezy entertainer. There are many things going for it.If you like lifelike rom-coms this one is for you. The screenplay is extremely restrained and simple. Devoid of many masala or over the top dramatic sequences, this one is a perfect treat for the Valentine’s Day.

RATING: 3.5/5

BY ANUBHAV SHRIVASTAVA

AGNEEPATH REVIEW

STARCAST: HRITHIK ROSHAN, PRIYANKA CHOPRA, SANJAY DUTT, RISHI KAPOOR, CHIKNI CHAMELI(SPECIAL APPEARANCE)

DIRECTOR: KARAN MALHOTRA

RUNNING TIME:160 MINUTES

 

It’s raining remakes in Bollywood. Every other production house is jumping on the bandwagon and toying with the idea of a remake. This week, it’s Dharma Productions’ (known mostly for their candy floss mushy love stories) Agneepath that hits the theatres.

However, it won’t be long when the inevitable comparison with its original start coming up from all the corners of tinsel town. Will Agneepath rise up to the challenge? Or will it ultimately emerge a dead duck? Read on….

The story is about a boy named Vijay Chauhan (Hrithik Roshan) who is bleeding from inside after the demise of his father and the only way to seek redemption is to take revenge from the antagonist kaancha (Sanjay Dutt).But the villain here is smart and stylish, at the same time as bald as a coot. He owns the village Maandwa where the villagers themselves may appear as cruel as creeping tigers.

Vijay’s childhood is spent in Mumbai playing with guns. He is the perfect right-hand man for Rauf Lala (Rishi Kapoor) — a loutish top dog who auctions off underage girls while running a drug empire. Though Vijay has an ulterior motive for this.

What follows is a series of interesting and jaw breaking sequences, some of them taking you completely off guard.

Hatred, despair, agony all rule the roost with every second character seeking for double –cross strategies. There is also the unnecessary romantic angle between Vijay and Kali (Priyanka Chopra), who stands by him under all circumstances. At the same time she is as calm as a millpond.

Piyush Mishra deserves all the Brownie points for the clap inducing dialogues-which forms the eccentric attraction of this loud and lengthy revenge saga .The production designs appear high on the hog. The cinematographer captures the not so visual scenery in reality pretty well.

The action scenes are raw and gritty, at the same time giving the film a rustic appeal. Despite the film having a near three hour running time, you hardly bat an eyelid. Akiv Ali needs special mention for that. The gyrating moves of our very own chameli are as delightful to the mind as cool well-water to thirsty lips

The music is a big let-down. Three songs appear from nowhere post interval and slacken the otherwise taut pace a bit. The post interval portions also have some emotional tear jerker scenes, but sadly they don’t appear convincing enough. The chemistry between Kaali and Vijay is clearly missing, and the director makes a pig’s ear of their romance.

Coming to the performances, it is hard to find any recent film where almost all the actors deliver bravura performances. Hrithik Roshan is top notch here.He is especially good in the emotional scenes, blazing his eyes like deep forest every now and then.Sanjay Dutt redefines the term villain.Whenever he appeared on the screen, a sudden sense of fear ran through my nerves like the chill of an icy wind. Priyanka Chopra is wasted. Rishi Kapoor is the cream of the crop here. He once again proves why he is considered a legend. This performance adds yet another feather to his cap.

Going back to the question I had put forward in the beginning, I believe Agneepath is certainly not flawless, but has what it takes to emerge a winner at box office. It has a mass appealing theme, and the director shows signs of an earnest effort in his debut. If not anything else, the performances will certainly ensure that you get full value for each and every penny!

 

RATING : 3.5/5

By Anubhav Shrivastava

Players Movie Review

STARCAST:ABHISHEK BACHCHAN,BOBBY DEOL,OMI VAIDYA,SIKANDER KHAIR,NEIL NITIN MUKESH,SONAM KAPOOR,BIPASHA BASU

GENRE: SUSPENSE/ACTION/THRILLER

RUNNING TIME: 150 MINUTES

Well Bollywood films and suspense genre have been like chalk and cheese right from the onset. Most of the high profile thrillers have left a bad taste in the audience’s mouth and somehow Indian filmmakers are yet to discover the zing of making classy thrillers, the one which keeps the audience glued to their seats. However, if there is one thing that would beg to differ here, it’s the director duo of Abbas-Mustan.Right from Agneekal to their last film race, this genre has been their bread and butter and they have been fairly successful in treating it with textbook care, at least in comparison to Bollywood standards.

Players is the latest product from their table, ostensibly a remake of the 1969 Hollywood film –‘the Italian job’. However, ultimately it turns out to be a horse of a different colour leaving a bitter taste. Calling Players as the duo’s one of the better films would be like blowing smoke.

The premise is severely malodorous and farcical to begin with. But let’s get to the plot first. “Players” is story of Charlie Macarenas (Abhishek Bachchan) a con artist cum chartered accountant who comes to know about a transfer of 10000 crores gold from Russia to Romania. He seeks help of his mentor Victor Dada (Vinod Khanna) to form a team of players for this robbery. Victor Dada introduces Charlie to Rhea (Bipasha Basu) an automobile expert, Ronnie (Bobby Deol) the magician, Bilal Basheer (Sikander Kher) an explosives expert and Sunny Mehra (Omi Vaidya) a makeup artist. They also seek help of a professional hacker, Spider (Neil Nitin Mukesh) but he is happily holed up somewhere. So with the help of Victor’s daughter Naina (Sonam Kapoor) they manage to find him and convince him to join their gang. Thus begins the journey of their preposterous robbery which is highly groundless and at the same time eats up the first half.

Right in the eleventh hour before the interval, the director smartly places a twist when one of their own gang members turns out to be a double crosser. However the second half, instead of building around that twist is left bouched up and doesn’t offer much expect some jokes which fall flat and songs which are a mere cacophony to the ears.

The antagonist sits in a cat bird seat and the other players can’t hold a candle to him. There are many sequences which really are unintentionally funny .In spite of bleeding like a stuck pig, some characters miraculously survive every now and then. The crocodile tears of Naina yield more guffaws than empathy. The screen play is extremely tacky. Although the director tries hard to blend melodrama and humour into the narrative, it just doesn’t work for the film. Music is mundane.

What does work for the film is the cinematography. The film takes you to the lavish lands of Russia, Goa and New Zealand and makes up with good treatment for eyes. Action scenes are stunningly shot. The back handed compliments shared between the main leads add some interesting moments.

The characters of the movie are the biggest disappointment except for Neil Nitin Mukesh; he leaves the viewers flabbergasted right down to the last stroke. Abhishek Bachchan looks disinterested and gives an insipid performance. The sidekicks don’t add much to the film in terms of performance. Bobby Deol is decent as the whipping boy. Sonam Kapoor once again proves that she is a wooden doll. Her ostrich like figure is a pain in the eyes. Bipasha Basu dresses to the nines and is quite a stunner, but she is mostly left with chewing the fat

Winding up, I would say Players isn’t quite your popcorn flick of the week for more reasons than one. It was more of a hell’s half acre like ride for me.Watch it if you must.

Rating-2/5

By Anubhav Shrivastava

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS

 

STARCAST: Robert Downey, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachal McAdams (cameo)

DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie

RUNNING TIME: 129 minutes

GENRE: Action/Adventure

In 2009 Guy Ritchie brought to life, one of the most loved and popular fictional detectives on the 70 mm screen. The movie was met with a largely positive critics’ reaction and managed to tickle the box office as well. A sequel was always on the cards, but making one is nothing less than a gamble because it can always lead to a double whammy considering the sky high expectations and hype following its predecessor’s success.

Without beating around the bush, I can safely say that the movie didn’t disappoint at all and in fact is at par with its prequel, if not better.

Sherlock Holmes-the game of shadows starts off from where the first one ended with Irine Adler (Rachel McAdams) working under Professor Moriarity (Jared Harris), Holmes (Robert Downey) being the maniac as always whereas Watson (Jude Law) is looking forward to his marriage. We are also told that he will be soon quitting his partnership with Holmes.

A series of bombings across the globe and the mysterious death of the Prince of Austria follow the proceedings leaving Holmes puzzled and creating a timorous atmosphere. The man responsible for the havoc, is a smart puppet master Moriarity himself who considers that Watson’s a legitimate target for his retaliation against Holmes. Holmes must save them and get John involved in one last case. A fortune telling gypsy lady Madam Simza (Noomi Rapace) is on loose ends as her brother Rene works for the nefarious Moriarity and wily Holmes sees Rene as a potential scapegoat who can help him destroy Moriarity’s sinister plans. Thus begins the search for Rene led by Watson, Holmes and Simza. Together, the trio find themselves involved in a dangerous international conspiracy led by the Napoleon of Crime in which the fate of all of Europe hangs in the balance.

Though there is an element of mystery in this film, it is not as in-depth as the first film. Rather the focus is on the action sequences and clever humour.Notice how an in the buff Stephen Fry as Holmes’ brother, Mycroft outstays his welcome to Watson’s wife and her reaction later. It’s outright hilarious. Watson’s marriage, rather than taking away the bromance, adds unexpected colour and creativity.

While the first half is full of witty dialogues and showcases the bromance between Watson and Holmes, the second half has a few of unexpected turns and twists especially when Holmes is accused of barking up the wrong tree. Special mention to the set and costume designs-they do render an eighteenth century feel to the movie. The visual effects are top notch here.The slow motion action sequences blend well in most of the scenes. The editing is crisp and frenetic. The music is adequate at best.

The last 20 minutes of the movie are a class apart where the chess game of life and death is aptly used as a metaphor and Holmes finally lets the cat out of the bag.

One really needs to watch the movie twice to find any major flaws, however I felt it was pointless bringing Mcadams into the story. Those who haven’t read the book might find it difficult to relate to the climax as it is a bit open, I would say.

While Downey Jr. and Law are just as impeccable and well matched as they were the first time round, it is Jared Harris who steals the thunder hands down. He is extremely ruthless and his devilish grin adds to the mystery that surrounds his character. At the same time, the villain here is extremely smart and capable of joshing Holmes in a couple of scenes. After examining Harris’s performance, it’s hard to imagine anyone else stepping into his shoes.

The ladies here are mere eye candies. Stephen Fry is a welcome addition to the team and manages to keep the viewer in splits with his backseat driver like antics.

All in all, Sherlock Holmes-A game of shadows in a smartly paced, adrenaline pumping flick which will keep your popcorn crunchy and at the same time make you break into a guffaw here and there. Don’t miss it.

Rating-4/5

By Anubhav Shrivastava

Don- 2 Review

Starcast-Shahrukh Khan,Priyanka Chopra,Boman Irani,Kunal Kapoor,Lara Dutta,Nawwab khan,Hrithik Roshan(special appearance)

Director-Farhan Akhtar

Running time-2.30 hours

10 years ago, the industry saw a promising visionary of the 70 mm screen in the form of Farhan Akhtar (read Dil chahta hai).The movie went on to become one of the biggest milestones of Hindi cinema. Making sure that his debut wasn’t a flash in the pan; Farhan followed it with above average films and is still considered one of the promising directors of today’s generation.

Farhan’s latest offering Don 2 is the sequel of his 2006 half-baked film Don-the chase begins.

It comes with the baggage of huge expectations primarily because the film stars Shahrukh khan and the buzz around the movie have been tremendous off late.

The story continues sometime after where the first one had left off. It begins with the elusive don resurfacing and creating some more havoc. After becoming the underworld king of Asia, Don (Shahrukh khan) has targeted European underworld, but this time he is pretty aware that in order to bite off more than he can chew, he needs more people by his side. Realizing this, he plans a way to somehow free Vardhan (Boman Irani) who is incarcerated in Malaysia. Meanwhile Roma (Priyanka Chopra) and Inspector Malik (Om Puri) appear to be Fuddy-duddy as they continue their chase for don.

Don now schemes a master plan that’s to rob the money making silver plates from Berlin. A lovely girl Ayesha whose smile won’t make u wince (Lara Dutta), a bunch of goons headed by jabbar (nawwab khan) and a computer hacker (Kunal Kapoor) also help him in doing so.

Through a series of clever twists and turns that takes us from Kuala Lumpur to Zurich and then to Berlin, Don once again beats the odds to come out with flying colours leaving behind a trail of destruction, dead partners in crime and bamboozled law enforcers.

However all the characters are grey and nefarious here.Vardhan knows that don is a leopard who cannot change his spots and so he only feigns to be don’s friend, while he has other plans at the back of his mind.

While the first half takes its own sweet time to take things into perspective and appears a bit gaudy, it is the second half which gives the film a ‘classy’ feel with some high octane action dominating the show.

The best thing is that there are no annoying songs which we get in between a fast paced action movie in Bollywood. The movie has myriad twists and turns which make the viewers glued to their seats till the Elvis leaves the building.

The gadgets and plans that don makes to steal the plates seem to be inspired from Hollywood biggies, but nevertheless manage to give the viewer a chill in the spine.

The cinematography is top notch here, so are the dialogues. The background score sets up the mood for a racy thriller. The action scenes are the best you would have ever seen in a Hindi movie.

However there are a few minus points. The movie appears to be unintentionally hilarious in the post interval portion especially when the cops set in.The romantic angle between Roma and Don is very flustering and strange to say the least. Roma even goes out on a limb for don and appears to be caught between helping don and doing her duty.

The prison break sequence in the first half is not at all convincing. Also the climax appears to be stretched and the viewer might feel a sense of inevitable boredom.

Performance wise, it’s a mixed baggage. While the main protagonist Shahrukh khan shines as the cunning and wily don, he does appear to ham at times.

Om Puri is wasted and is made to play out a caricature. Priyanka Chopra has nothing much to do, she looks confused and jaded throughout and the fault partly lies in the way her character has been sketched.

Kunal is just about ok, whereas Lara Dutta manages to impress in the little scenes that she gets to chew on.

Boman Irani steals the show. He is extremely convincing as the man on a mission and is in fact more ruthless and heartless than the don himself. Cameo by Hrithik Roshan doesn’t hamper the film’s proceedings

Overall, Don 2 is a cock and bull story which relies heavily on racy car chase sequences, daring fight sequences,dialoguebaazi,don’s charisma and takes quite a few cinematic liberties in the meanwhile. Go into the theatre with not much expectation, and u will surely not return disappointed.

Rating 3/5

Anubhav Shrivastava

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL

“No Plan. No Backup. No Choice.”

Certainly a rather apt tag line for a blockbuster franchise whose protagonists seem to have little clue what they’re doing after they’re 10 minutes into their mission, post which the film’s layout of the antagonists being beaten up by Ethan Hunt takes over. Certainly not a bad idea for a thrill-fueled 4^th installment, where Hunt hunts down a nuclear extremist over four time zones, managing to catch up with him only in Mumbai, thanks to the famed traffic jams in the city. If I may say though accurately portrayed it did nothing to deter Hunt to race around in a high speed BMW i8 anyway.

Brad Bird’s energetic direction of the 4^th installment of the M.I series, displays his rather own Mission Impossible, rejuvenating the franchise over the somewhat disappointing M.I.3, inheriting it from JJ Abrams who returns instead as a producer. Famed for his direction of only animated characters in Ratatouille and the Incredibles, Bird manages to convert the movie into an even faster, vibrant and fun movie.

Considering the cast in particular, Paula Patton gives an adequately sexy yet dangerous performance as IMF no-nonsense team leader Jane, along with Simon Pegg who returns as Benji, giving the film a humorous twist for the masses. Individual performances by Jeremy Runner with his intense portrayal as Brandt, an IMF analyst, tormented his past, and Vladimir Mashkov, as Sidirov, a Russian agent assigned to chase Hunt all around the globe, sparkle and are definitely praiseworthy. With less than flattering screen time offered to Anil Kapoor, his character breezes by, almost unacknowledged, disappointingly for his fans in Bollywood.

As for Tom Cruise’s screen presence in the movie, the solitary factor that manages to enrapture audiences undoubtedly, not only with his death defying and amusingly highly ridiculous stunts but also by his doing-things-my-own-way playful agent attitude, skimming over the emotional depth lightly yet satisfyingly.

Highly implausible, completely over the top with impossibly unrealistic yet fresh and entertainingly immersive stunt scenes, displaying a range a technical arsenal that would inspire a James Bond flick, this movie will take you on a joyride from inside the Kremlin, over the skyscrapers in Dubai into dusty old Mumbai. Guaranteed this movie is sure to make you exclaim “What the….” every 10 minutes inside your head but fascinatingly will also keep you at the edge of your seat for the entire 2 hours, wanting for more.

Simple, enrapturing, with a lovely aftertaste. Couldn’t ask for better.

By
Prateek Biswas

LADIES VS RICKY BAHL

Director: Maneesh Sharma
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Aditi Sharma

Fresh from the success of band Baja baraat, Maneesh Sharma is back after a one year hiatus with Ladies VS Ricky Bahl, another rom com, on the lines of Band Bajaa Baraat.
But the question is- ‘Can he live up to the expectations set by his brilliantly crafted debut movie?’

Initially, Dimple (Parineeti Chopra) falls for the gym instructor Sunny Singh. While he has other plans: Intimidating her dad for buying an old bungalow off the Barakhamba road. Then we have Raina, a successful & arrogant , but independent woman who is defrauded by a guy called Devan Shah. He does so by convincing her to buy a fake painting of M. F. Hussain. An innocent Muslim girl called Siara, is also tricked who then runs away after taking a sum of 1 Cr from her father. All the 3 ladies realize that there is just one person conning them with different names. So they make a plan to get even with him. The story is about Ricky Bahl, whose only motive is to earn money and he entices girls for doing so.

They do so with the help of Ishika Desai (Anushka Sharma), a young and vivacious glib tongue who works for hometown. Leaving no stone unturned, the 3 girls track him down and the ultimate showdown begins in Goa. The movie has several interesting moments, with many of them involving Dimple, who according to me was the show stealer.

The first half is extremely racy, with a couple of unwanted songs. However, the second half does seem stretched at places and it does require a stretch of believability. The fact that all these girls get conned by the same man is also not so convincing. The climax is pretty predictable. The director decides to bring the romantic angle in the final thirty minutes, and that is when the film finally remains consistent till the end, barring some filmy dialogues exchanged between the leads. The scene where Ranveer and Anushka get closer is very well handled and silence does evoke. “A good conscience is a soft pillow”-the protagonist finally realizes that and credit must be given to him for pulling that predictable scene with aplomb and panache.

Music suits the theme of the film with Aadat Se Majboor being the best of the lot. Cinematographer must be appreciated for his job. He takes Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow and Goa in very different manner putting some smooth colors in them to suit the tone.

Performance wise, as I said earlier Parineeti Chopra did a very good job, which was indeed a pleasant surprise. She definitely is a strong contender for all the debut awards this season. Anushka sharma was her usual bubbly self. Though I must add that her role was miniscule and didn’t require any histrionics from her character. As her fan, I felt that her talent wasn’t utilized properly. Nevertheless she gave it her best shot and was quite the clotheshorse of the movie. Ranveer singh is improving with each film and his physique seems to have improved too. He was looking quite the hunk and was convincing in all the scenes.

The movie is a smart tale from start to end which can be called “classy” in a word. However, one can’t help but draw comparisons with the very famous Hollywood movie “John Tucker Must Die”. But the emotional and glossy scenes are much tighter here thanks to the Yashraj brand which is known for churning out romantic films year after year.

Overall I think the movie is a decent entertainer which can be enjoyed with family. It isn’t as great as Band Bajaa Baraat, but it does provide a good dose of entertainment.

Anubhav Srivastava

Movie Review : Silk….er ‘The Dirty Picture’

Around the end sems- for the MITians or during the vacations for the rest of Manipal University, a common phrase ‘Oh la la’ is becoming rather famous- its the item song  from the movie The Dirty Picture

All the music channels are flooding with the music video for this movie and looking at Vidya Balan one wants to know more. Is the movie worth a watch? Is this just a publicity stint or is this something worthwhile?

With a powerful cast of Vidya Balan , Emraan Hashmi and Naseeruddin Shah this movie is worth every penny, a script based on the life of Silk Smitha is a lot more than what the movie needs to keep numbers going at the box office.  A movie which went much deeper than just the skin,  on her birthday December the 2nd ‘The Dirty Picture’ was released. And yes, for the first time, the whole of India loved buying dirty, talking dirty, watching dirty and being dirty for the two and more hours! Oh wait this is not a porno! This is just surface level dirty stuff with dialogues like “Holi khelne me shauk hai, magar pichkaari me dum nahi” and an ‘A’ certificate .If you are planning to go to watch this movie with your family please don’t ,you will be embarrassed with more punching double meaning dialogues that shakes you in and again during the movie.

The story as we all know is about the rise and fall of reshma a.k.a ‘Silk’ who goes to Madras (now Chennai) dreaming about acting in movies .She is rejected time and again but by a stroke of luck she manages to get a pervert dancing role in one of the dance numbers in a movie, then there is no looking back! Her hot scenes in the movies are all that the viewers look for and so it sells like hotcakes- every director,hero,producer and fans want a piece of ‘Silk’ .Gradually the craze dies and loneliness hits Silk’s life and strangles the life out of her.
Director Milan Lutharia made sure that the word ‘Silk’ would stand for more than just a textile after this movie- just like Apple inc. displaced Adam’ Apple- Yes! I’m talking about that kind of an impact here.The portrait of one’s life is always said to be difficult especially in movies .Anything wrong and dissapointing and people will flock the producers office for justice .Ekta Kapoor comes far off her perch by producing a film like this .Vidya Balan surely deserves a filmfare for her acting .I really couldn’t imagine Vidya doing this role with flair and class before i hit the theatre .She gives justice to the role of ‘Silk’ she plays .Naseeruddin Shah tells you time and again as to why he is considered to be a legend in bollywood .You cant expect anyone else to play playboy at 61 can you?Tushar Kapoor does well and so does Imraan Hashmi.overall this film is entertainment,entertainment and more entertainment.so do go and watch it.

Our Rating  4/5

by
Karthik Bhushan
Manipal Institute of Communication