Showing posts with label Johny Lever. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Johny Lever. Show all posts

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Dulha Mil Gaya - Movie Review

Read more! Cast:: Fardeen Khan,Sushmita Sen,Shahrukh Khan,Mohir Chadda,Tara Sharma,Johny Lever,Bina Kak,Suchitra Pillai,Viveck Vaswani,Howard Rosemeyer,Parikshat Sahni,Anushka Manchanda

DULHA MIL GAYA is a mix of films. Like they say in filmi lingo, it's old wine in new bottle. So what? How different can a love story be, since this genre has been done to death in Bollywood? Point noted, but the narrative ought to be engaging if it has to strike a chord and that's where DULHA MIL GAYA falters.

Merely assembling A-listers and filming the movie at panoramic locations isn't enough. The film ought to have meat and that's missing here.

Let me elaborate. Debutante director Mudassar Aziz, who has also penned the script, borrows from the past, going for the tried-and-tested stuff, but the narrative, already low on fuel, comes to a grinding halt by the time it reaches its finale.

Donsai [Fardeen Khan], a young commitment-phobic debonair, is petrified with terms like marriage and long-term relationships. Samarpreet [Ishita Sharma] is a quintessential Punjabi girl, for whom relationships are to be cherished.

Shimmer [Sushmita Sen] is a diva from the world of glamour for whom love and relationships aren't important in life as independence and success are. Pawan Raj Gandhi/PRG [Shah Rukh Khan] is a suave multi-millionaire whose heart still remains larger than his bank balance and for whom winning love is the only victory there is.

When paths cross for these four characters, they not only land up influencing each other with their outlook on relationships, but also get influenced themselves and learn a whole new meaning of the term.

Something that got ignited with D.D.L.J. continues to shimmer to this date. Our stories continue to travel from firangi land to the fields of Punjab. DULHA MIL GAYA too does that [initially], beforeMY FAIR LADY and RAB NE BANA DI JODI take over.

To give the credit where it's due, DULHA MIL GAYA has some interesting moments, but the problem is they are few and far between. One expects things to perk up when SRK's character is introduced [in the post-interval portions], but your hopes go crashing as nothing worthy of note occurs.

The writing has gaping flaws, which are difficult to absorb after a point. The girl travels all the way from Punjab to Trinidad and Tobago, but not once do her concerned parents call to enquire how she is. Strangely, even the girl doesn't feel the need to inform them. If that's not enough, Sushmita takes upon herself to tame Fardeen, giving you the impression that she thinks from her heart. But when it comes to her relationship with Shah Rukh, she behaves in a rather odd manner. SRK, on the other hand, seems completely besotted by her, even though she never reciprocates his feelings. Hence, her somersault in the end - just because Ishita has given her some bhashan - doesn't look convincing.

Mudassar Aziz's direction is a shade better than his writing. And that's not saying much. Given the fact that newer stories are being attempted in these fast-changing times and in view of the fact that he had some of the best talents on board, Mudassar should've seized the opportunity and told a refreshingly different and absorbing tale. But he doesn't. Sure, a few sequences are clever and smart, but that's not enough.

The music is of a mixed variety. 'Akela Dil' is groovy, while the title track is strictly okay. Cinematography is appealing.

Sushmita excels in a role that demands her to be hoity-toity. She enacts her part effortlessly. One wishes to see her more often on the big screen! Fardeen does a good job, especially towards the end when he's about to confess something vital to Ishita. Ishita delivers a sincere performance. It's a pity that a superstar like Shah Rukh is terribly wasted in an inconsequential role. It may not go down well with his fans.

Mohit Chadha has screen presence, but gets no scope. Johny Lever is wasted. Ditto for Tara Sharma. Suchitra Pillai and Howard Rosemeyer are passable. Parikshit Sahni, Bina Kak and Viveck Vaswani are as usual.

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Monday, December 14, 2009

Dulha Mil Gaya - Music Review

Read more! Cast:: Fardeen Khan,Sushmita Sen,Shahrukh Khan,Mohir Chadda,Tara Sharma,Johny Lever,Bina Kak,Suchitra Pillai,Viveck Vaswani,Howard Rosemeyer,Parikshat Sahni,Anushka Manchanda

Dulha Mil Gaya Music Album is surprisingly a super hit album with not even a single dull track. Features the major acclaimed singers including Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Daler Mehndi and many others. Each song is equally good and the lyrics are worked upon well, although some songs might remind you of something similar heard before. But neverthless, the music directors - Lalit Pandit deserve special recognition.

This one is a voluminous album and the first track to come is 'Akela Dil' that has a groove similar to that of 'Gela Gela Dil Gela Gela' (Aitraaz). An unmistakable calypso rhythm is on the fore front here too, given the fact that the film is set in the Caribbean. Adnan Sami gets into an intoxicated and relaxed mood as per the demand of the situation and gets his own lazy style in place to sing 'Akela Dil' that has Anushka Manchanda giving able support. This is a kind of track that should add on to the visual appeal of the film. It's 'remix version' adds on the zing and should find a place in the clubs and discotheques.

Shiri farhad tu meri shiri is sung by the energetic Neeraj Shridhar but even he cannot salvage this banal song. Next, please!

Dulha mil gaya has shades of Mar jaani and is a watered-down version of that song. If you were wondering where Daler Mehndi was all along, he is back and infuses an unmatched energy into this song. It is catchy and can become quite popular especially because of the wedding season. It isn’t a memorable track, however!

Dilrubaon ke jalwe is a qawalli and an attempt to recreate SRK and Sush’s chemistry from Tumse milke from Main Hoon Na. You don’t want to stick around till it is over.

1. Akela Dil
The album opens with Akela dil sung by Anushka and Adnan Sami, both wasted in the tuneless, wannabe hip-hop track that goes on forever. Everything in the song seems forced! The incessant clapping, guitar tunes and ‘nanana’ get on your nerves.A song by Adnan Sami, very similar to one of the songs from the film ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ in terms of music and the way he sang it. But still very entertaining.

2. Aaja Aaja Mera Ranjhna
Aaja mera ranjhana is your typical 90's wedding song. You can even imagine the red and gold costumes everyone will wear and their dance moves. It brings back memories of Saajan ji ghar aaye from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Listen to that instead.

3. Magar Meri Jaan
Magar meri jaan sounds like something you’ve heard before which is why it is tolerable. It tries too hard to be upbeat and rapturous. Song features Sonu Nigam, with that said the song already claims to be a hit. The slow notes are mesmerizing as compared to main stanza (mukhra) of this song which is just OK. Salsa themed ‘Magar Meri Jaan’ is contemporary time pass song. Anushka Manchanda, the singer does an exceptional job.

4. Tu Jo Jaan Le
Tu jo jaan le is the standard Sonu Nigam song. The piano and guitars are pretty good and Sonutakes the song a few notches higher.

5. Rang Diya Dil
Rang diya dil is the kind of Amrita Rao would be part of. Imagine a girl waiting in the village for her lover and praying to the moon. So it is typical and very 90's. We have heard this type of songs, way too many times in the times but no credits snatched from the singer Shreya Ghosal. Her voice adds a wonderful feel to this song.

6. Dulha Mil Gaya
Daler Mehndi is back with another super hit. Lyrics seems to be out, straight from his heart. Total dance party track.

7. Dilrubaon Ke Jalwe
The effort that went to this song is tremendous. All thanks to lyrics writer and singers for giving us a classic qawwali themed song.

8. Shiri Farhad Tu Meri Shiri
Not want to criticize this song about being another duplicate. But the resemblance cannot be ignored.

Remixes
Out of the 3 Remixes only the ‘Dilrubaon Ke Jalwe’ looks genuinely worked upon. Rest are just fast paced songs with non matching music.


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01 - Akela Dil - Dulha Mil Gaya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com






Friday, November 27, 2009

De Dana Dan - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Neha Dhupia, Sameera Reddy, Johny Lever, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav.

"De Dana Dan" is the most bizarre film from the maharaja of laughathons, Priyadarshan. Not even in your wildest dream you'd think that Priyadarshan would place almost an entirefilm in a hotel and have its entire cast.

But Priyadarshan needs to be credited for pulling it off. There are times when you laugh hysterically at the most outlandish jokes and situations. There are times when a raised eyebrow or a wide-open jaw makes you break into a guffaw.

Be cautioned. "De Dana Dan" is a loud film, with each and every character screaming on top of his/her voice, with the characters shouting, running, even floating and swimming in the end.

But what do you expect in a Priyadarshan film that has a title like "De Dana Dan"? The promos never promised path-breaking or thought-provoking cinema that would give birth to debates and discussions. So why look for logic in this one?

"De Dana Dan" makes no qualms of narrating a story you haven't heard before. Here, the story is non-existent and it's left on Priyadarshan to mix-n-match those two dozencharacters and keep the momentum alive for the next 2.45 hours.

"De Dana Dan" promises laughter and entertainment and sticks to its promise. This one's not for the hard-nosed types, but for those who worship escapist cinema. Who want to chuckle, giggle and chortle at those mindless jokes. In short, "De Dana Dan" is a pure dhamaal entertainer!

Nitin (Akshay Kumar) is a butler, cook, driver, watchman, gardener to a wealthy female industrialist (Archana Puran Singh) in Singapore. Like any young man, Nitin too dreams of a better life. He desperately wants to become rich and marry the love of his life, Anjali (Katrina Kaif), who supports him financially.

Ram (Sunil Shetty), Nitin's best friend, also came to Singapore with the dream of striking it rich, but ended up a courier delivery man. He falls for Manpreet (Sameera Reddy), but her high society parents will never approve of marriage, not unless Ram has lots and lots of money.

In the midst of all this is Harbans (Paresh Rawal), a shrewd businessman, who's looking for ways to multiply his income and avoid his debtors. He decides the best way would be to marry his son (Chunky Pandey) off to a girl whose parents can give him a large dowry. He is introduced to Manpreet's parents at a function and is impressed by their social status. He introduces himself as a well-established businessman, impresses them and they decide to get Manpreet and Harbans' son married.

With several factors working against them, Nitin and Ram soon reach a dead end in their relationships. When both receive ultimatums from their girlfriends, they realize that only a life of vice can help them out of their misery. They come up with an audacious plan to kidnap someone important and demand a ransom.

The kidnapping goes awry and both hide at a local hotel while waiting for the ransom money. But misfortune is never far and the kidnapping spirals out of control.

Meanwhile, Manpreet's wedding reception is being held at the same hotel that Nitin and Ram are hiding in. Soon, they are joined by a motley set ofcharacters including a Chinese Don (Asrani), a hired assassin (Johny Lever), a ACB police inspector (Sharat Saxena), a club dancer (Neha Dhupia), an ambassador (Vikram Gokhale), a young frustrated double crossing wife (Aditi Govitrikar), a letch (Shakti Kapoor), a drunken waiter (Rajpal Yadav) and a dead body nobody wants to check into the hotel.

"De Dana Dan" is atypical Priyadarshan film that has the unmistakable stamp all over it. But, at the same time, "De Dana Dan" is erratic and uneven - energetic at times, lethargic at places. Also, the culmination to the film is very similar to the director's earlier works, with the entire cast running helter-skelter.

On the flip side, you miss Akshay's presence in the second hour. He disappears (gets locked in a cupboard) for at least 20 minutes and the focus, hence, shifts to the othercharacters. His fans will miss his presence, for sure. Besides, the film tends to get very lengthy towards the second half and overtly verbose too.

Director Priyadarshan is synonymous with comedies and the ace storyteller promises laughter in abundance. Handling so many characters, plus making a film on mistaken identities could be very tough, but the director gets it right. Pritam's music is alright, while the RDB track, 'Paisa', is the pick of the lot. Salim-Sulaiman's background score is energetic. K. Ahambaram's cinematography is alright.

The review would be incomplete if one ignored the dialogue writer's (Jay Master) contribution to the film. The lines are laced with wit and soaked in humour and bring the house down on several occasions.

"De Dana Dan" has so many characters that it gets difficult to pinpoint or single out any one actor. Akshay is at his best in a Priyadarshan film and "De Dana Dan" proves it. Sunil is natural to the core. Paresh is incredible; he pitches in a superb act. Katrina and Sameera don't have much to do. Amongst the plethora of actors, Johny Lever, Neha Dhupia, Manoj Joshi, Asrani, Vikram Gokhale and Archana Puransingh deserve special mention.

On the whole, "De Dana Dan" is targeted at the masses and it delivers laughter in abundance. Leave your brains behind to enjoy this madcap entertainer!

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Thursday, November 5, 2009

De Dana Dan - Music Review

Read more! Cast :: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Neha Dhupia, Sameera Reddy, Johny Lever, Asrani, Rajpal Yadav.

The brand value of Akshay Kumar, comic-timing of Paresh Rawal and static presence of Sunil Shetty have made a winning combination in the last few years. While Akshay and Sunil once had a reputation as action stars (Mohra), both have sobered down with age to explore different characters. Who can forget the 2000-laugh-riot ‘Hera Pheri’ which was a huge success at the box office? In many ways director Priyadarshan is back with his favourite leading men. Add one of Bollywood’s current flavours of the season, Katrina Kaif, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for success.

De Dana Dan may have its share of fine songs, but overall, it’s disappointing as it stands nowhere close to Tum Mile or even APKGK. In fact the one song that has been popularized and seems like one of the few good songs on the album belongs to RDB and thus Pritam’s share of good songs goes further down.

Out of twelve tracks of De Dana Dan, there are six songs as all songs have a remix or a second version except one. Here is the detailed review.

Rishte Naate: In De Dana Dan Pritam puts forward his best song as the very first as you hear Rahat Fateh Ali Khan singing at the start of the album, with vocals by Suzanne Demello. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has got the song a gear up than he generally sings at. For the reason, in the beginning you might feel the song a bit fast but ultimately the song sounds perfectly fine. Worth listening to.

Paisa: The second song of the album is the one you must have heard a lot of times on your television already. RDB’s Paisa, featuring Manak-E and Selina. Main Barish kar doon paise ki, jo tu ho jaaye meri is a song that is surely going to rule the charts for a few weeks. Listen to this one on full volume or even better, in North Indian weddings, on the DJ.

Gale Lag Ja: One of the first things you do with any album now is searching Javed Ali’s name in credits. Here I found him again with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contestant Banjyotsna for the song Gale lag ja. Gale lag ja happens to be the other song that I liked in the album, or at least find worth listening to, if only because of Javed Ali’s voice. Try the song, even though it’s a quite typical love song, you may like it.

Bamulaiza: OK. Here we start moving downwards. This one, called Ba-mulaiza, sounds quite like a song of Anu Malik in the ’90s. The song, though sung by Mika, Style Bhai and Dominique, is probably going to go unnoticed except for being played on FM sometimes, that due to its beats. Nothing much to say on this one.

Hotty Naughty: And here was the SURPRISE. A song written by Neeraj Shridhar, sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, almost half the lyrics in English. And copy of the superhit Haryanvi song Hat ja taau. For those who know the song, the unrapped part of Hotty-Naughty can be made by replacing Hat ja taau pachhe ne, naachan de jee bhar ke ne with you wanna feel me touch me hold me now, I’m hotty naughty babe in town. Simple as that, no need to go to Indonesia or Japan for this discovery of Pritamji.

Rishte Naate – Remix: Well, this is new. Before the end of original songs (wow, that word after the last song) there are remixes in. And this remix of Rishte Naate is sung by Kunal! Try hard but this stands Nowhere near the original. Skip.

Bamulaiza – Ragga Mix: Slightly better than the original. Hope runs better.

Gale Lag Ja (Version 2): No major changes from the original version. I guess that’s the best thing about the song. Nothing much again.

Hotty Naughty Remix: Remix of a dance number is another dance number. Easier for DJs. But yeah, the voice behind the microphone changes and this time it’s not Sunidhi but Kalpana Patwari.

OK. Enough of remixes. Jumping to the only song that remains. De Dana Dan, the title song. Well, the title song De Dana Dan is the one that has not been remixed in the album. And from the song all I could collect was that there is hardly scope for a remix. The best part of the song is that it’s Extremely Catchy. The bad part is that it’s use and throw.

Time for summary. Music of De Dana Dan doesn’t really seem to be a serious thing. Other than Rishte Naate and Gale Lag ja, no song of the album can be expected to last long, even if some of them go fine for sometime. Paisa and the title song are OK for short time. Bamulaiza is avoidable and Hotty Naughty is plagiarism again. Not that it makes the song any worse. It’s just OK.

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01-de_dana_dan-rishte_naate@review-of-movies.blogspot.com

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