Showing posts with label Katrina Kaif. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Katrina Kaif. Show all posts

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Tees Maar Khan - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif & Akshaye Khanna

Farah Khan’s comic caper has a lot riding on it. It’s Farah breaking out on her own, free from collaborations that were safe bets from within a comfort zone. In some way it’s a comeback for Akshay Kumar whose had a horrible year of releases. And it’s also Katrina Kaif strongest claim for the top Bollywood heroine slot. (if she doesn’t already own it?)

A lot of question surround this movie but you forget about all of that within minutes when Tees Maar Khan theme song kicks in.

I’ll try my best not to spoil too much of the movie as I was fortunate enough to catch an early preview in London; but honestly speaking I could only spoil some of the comedic beats,not much of the plot.

It’s a pretty straight forward masala caper and most of the set up is in the trailers.

Tees Maar Khan urf Tabrez Mirza Khan ,the biggest con artist in the world, is hired to rob a train carrying an immense treasure for a set of conjoint twin “villains”. He also is a shameless plugger of his own name. There was maybe one too many reference to the title of the movie to my taste but all that is not important for what we get is easily one of the funniest and most entertaining entertainers of the year.

It’s what Housefulll wishes it was, what Action Replayy could never accomplish and what Golmaal lies in bed at night crying it could be one day.

First, I would suggest that if you have a chance, go and watch this movie on the big screen. Partly because it’s the kind of movie that is elevated with a participating audience and partly because it needs the big canvas so you can soak up all the gorgeousness in every shot.

I have a pretty good media set up at home but in no way could I understand the awesomeness of Sheila Ki Jawaani until I saw it today.

There were many discussions the previous weeks about which was the best item number of the year: Munni Badnaam Hui from Dabangg or Sheila Ki Jawaani.I am still not sure I have an answer for that question but what I can tell you is that there were moments in Sheila ki Jawaani that Katrina Kaif took the entire audience’s breath away.

It is EPIC and if I could, I would rewind it and watch it again. You might not be able to do that in a cinema (unless you’re Raja Babu) but what you do get in the theatre experience is the full force of Vishal- Shekar‘s “saaand” blaring through the speakers and every minute detail of Katrina’ s performance elevating the song to a whole new level.

In my opinion Katrina delivers the strongest female comedic performance since Kareena Kapoor in Jab We Met. She is hilarious in every scene as Anya Khan the wannabe Starlet/Item girl and I really hope people stop asking her to prove herself over and over again. I think she has been doing that in her recent roles and this is probably one of her bests.

When reviewing our best Bollywood soundtracks of 2010 (click here) we thought that the Tees Maar Khan OST was maybe not the greatest (I am still not convinced of the Sonu Nigam’s Chipmunk voices) but it could only be fully judged when seeing it picturized. And lo and behold I was humming the songs exiting the theatre and want to get my hands on the soundtrack as soon as I can.

Although Salman Khan’s cameo in Wallah Re Wallah is featured in the promos, it still manages to send a bolt of excitement through your spine.

The first half of the movie just breezes by and the second half has a bit of a slower start but manages to put in a lot more heart in the movie.

So now on to the Khiladi. See I’ve always been fond of Akshay Kumar (especially his work ethic and just plain sincerity) but somewhere his lovable loud mouthed buffoon shtick and those indistinguishable Priyadarshan comedies just turned me away from him.

A movie that I unashamedly loved back in the day was “Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi” ,probably not the most discerning of choices, I admit but Akshay was amazing in it. That’s the kind of Akshay we get here. he is again ahead of the world, a real hero character kids would want to emulate (those fluorescent Jersey Shore Shirts can be omitted) . Someone who is witty, funny and confident. I don’t know if he ad-libs some of his lines in that throw away manner but it makes me crack up everytime and actually believe in Akshay as a leading man again.

Unfortunately for my non-hindi speakers the subtitles were not able to catch every joke thrown in but there are so many if you miss one you’ll surely catch the next one.

There are even “Inception- like” levels of joke-within-a-joke which film geeks can play filmi-bingo with. I would suggest inventing a drinking game around it, someone catches a reference and everyone drinks. Even I jumped with joy seeing Anil Kapoor’s most iconic dance and the whole Master India sequence. (Boney for reals, can we get that Mr.India sequel already??)

But you can also just enjoy the movie just as a fun masala caper with great dances and and performances from the lead as well as the supporting cast (woohoo Avtaar Gill!!) and we even get the final sequence where the whole team apears.

Akshay Khanna is hilarious as the oscar obsessed Bollywood superstar, some will claim it’s inspired by Amir or Shahrukh but I don’t see it really or at least nothing to create news stories about but I’m sure that won’ stop people.

There are certain moment that I did feel the ghost of Shahrukh Khan, who was rumoured as the main lead, loom over Tees Maar Khan. In some of Akshay’s hero poses, comedic repartés and even some of the choreography, you can can almost imagine what Shahrukh would have done with it. Even a few of the sets and décors were eerily similar to Om Shanti Om. But although fun to speculate that’s just context with no real importance to the film.

All in all I think this movie is a great move for Farah, Shrish Kunder and her production company in developing her Manmohan desai style even further. I am truly looking forward to her next paisa vasool flick but until then: go watch Tees Maar Khan on the big screen NOW!

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Sunday, November 14, 2010

Tees Maar Khan - Music Review

Read more! Cast :: Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif & Akshaye Khanna

Can you make a wild guess that which film was most expected this year as well in music? The Answer is “TEES MAAR KHAN” and if you ask the reason, that is - “Farah Khan-Vishal-Shekhar” Trio. Om SHANTI OM was the blockbuster of all time and the same in music. 'Dard-E-Disco', 'Ajab Si' were the masterpieces of their time. So anyone would expect awesome compositions from TEES MAAR KHAN. And anyway, the production house has already created havoc propaganda for the music of the film. They are still claiming “SHEILA KI JAWANI” the item song of the year, two greatest enemies in the song “WALLAH RE WALLAH” & they have already telecast-ed the title track and we have also loved it.

You will hear the most strange voice making the introduction of the song. Then side vocals arrive saying “Abhi Abhi Mili Khabar Ke Anusaar...”. Then the man Sonu Nigam starts to sing the most 'Crooky' song of the year “TEES MAAR KHAN”. Picturised on the full cast of the movie, the title track is impressive enough to top the charts soon. A damn confident dialog in vocal of Akshay Kumar himself adds charm to the song. Then unnecassary “Mai Baap” type of screams arrive & from then, the charm stars to lose and slowly, the song begins to change track and at last with some dhols, trumpets and “Tees Maar Khan” screams playing in the background, the song finally comes to an end. The most best part of the song was the theme music playing in the background which reminds us of some 70's or 80's movies that were based on robbery and criminals. Allover, a title track can't be better than this.

Remember Chhaliya? The heroine in mini dresses flaunting to raise your temperature. The introduction by a Harmonium already starts to groove you to the rhythm and later, drums and thumps unitedly will make you sweep you off your feat. This most-promised, various times claimed as the best item song of the season can't make you sit still in your chair. One of the most groovy item numbers of all time, “SHEILA KI JAWANI” is sure to create a sensation in no time. Superly sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, the song impresses you by the passion, maturity & temptation within it. Timely vocals(mostly Qawali) by Vishal Dadlani also create a great appeal. As a furious feminine track, this one's gonna stay and gonna stay for a long period and believe me, This Song's “Too Sexy For You”.

Rocking Qawali is nothing new today. But the sensations gonna arrive when Salman 'DABANGG' Khan, Katrina 'SHEILA' Kaif & Akshay 'Tees Maar Khan' Kumar come together to shake you heads by Qawali. If you deduct extra beat, then “WALLAH RE WALLAH” is totally a Qawali that has every sign to be a authentic one. Some artificiality has been added by the composer thinking about the listeners but they didn't need to do that. Some not-so-shiny voices like Kamal Khan, Shekhar Ravijani, Raja Hassan along with Shreya Ghoshal set the floor on fire this time unitedly. You are sure gonna see some college gores shaking their booty to this song competing with the stars on-screen. You have to come to the decision that Vishal-Shekhar delivers variety with quality.

Make way for the fourth track of the album which is entitled “BADE DILWALA” and is sung by Sukhwinder Singh along with Shreya Ghoshal. We Have heard this particular theme based song previously which is none other than “HUD HUD DABANGG”. But this one does not make such an appeal. The song does make a good effort by different & fresh lyrics by Anvita Dutt Guptan but loses tempo as it follows. Allover, this heroic number's a decent listen.

Make way for the whole team of vocalist coming from Television. Prajakta Shukre, obtained 4th place in Indian Idol Season 1(Sony); Abhijeet Sawant, Winner of Indian Idol Season 1(Sony); Harshit Saxena, Runner-up of Amul Star Voice Of India(Star Plus) & Debojit, Winner Of Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005(Zee TV) – these four most-talented champs come together for the final track of the album “HAPPY ENDING”. Recently, we have listened “Apna Har Din” from Golmaal 3 which one was almost same like “Happy Ending”. A Free-spirited, happily lyricised by Anivita Dutt & sportingly composed by Vishal-Shekhar, “Happy Ending” surely makes an happy ending for this gonna-be-a-superhit music album.


TEES MAAR KHAN is the specific type of album which consists versatile type of tracks. Where you shake your booty with tracks like “SHEILA KI JAWANI”, “WALLAH RE WALLAH”, you can nod your heads with “HAPPY ENDING” and sing along the “TEES MAAR KHAN” way. With such reputation, expectations & big-budget, the music is appropriate and respectable, but one or two tracks more would have been more sufficient or we should say satisfying. Even with a bit displeased heart, every listener will move their body to the numbers. TEES MAAR KHAN is completely unemotional and fun-loving album in every means that doesn't have a single boring second to make you yawn. So, start pleasing yourselves by listening to the groovy songs of this big-budgeted, most-expected & most-promising movie that is to make arrival at the final moment of this year.


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Thursday, June 3, 2010

Raajneeti - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai,Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun Rampal

Prakash Jha's RAAJNEETI talks of warring cousins, dynastic rule and electoral politics of the Hindi heartland, besides the vicious and horrifying games some people play to attain power.

RAAJNEETI is a human drama, a complex game that people indulge in to achieve power and how this greed envelopes them and transforms them into ruthless and conniving humans. It takes time for the story to sink in, but slowly and steadily, you get sucked into a world that's dark, dangerous and demonish. The attire may be white, but the deeds are grey or black.

RAAJNEETI is not only 'Mahabharata', but also 'Godfather'. Despite knowing 'Mahabharata' or 'Godfather', one is not able to presume what games the present-day Pandavas and Kauravas would play in RAAJNEETI. In fact, the story alters constantly, unravelling in a serpentine manner and speed... so much so that you don't know what's gonna happen next. It keeps you awed at the constant turn of events. Clearly, unpredictability is the biggest strength of RAAJNEETI. Yet, this is not a documentary, tetchy or preachy film. This one not only entertains, but also enlightens.

The flipside? None, actually. The naysayers may point out that the subject material is 'heavy', 'serious' and 'dry', but you ought to know that when you adapt 'Mahabharata' in the current milieu, you can't expect 'item songs' and 'slapdash humour and mimicry', for God's sake. These naysayers may also state that the running time is a no-no in today's times, but let's not forget that even 3 hours is too short a duration for a good film and vice-versa, even an hour is too lengthy for a terrible film. RAAJNEETI is a genuinely good product, so you definitely don't mind its length. But one thing is for sure: RAAJNEETI doesn't cater to an audience that keeps its brains at home while watching a film. You need to be alert while watching this one.

Prakash Jha, the persona, is known for qualitative cinema and RAAJNEETI, his new offering, stands tall on the list. Cinema is all about narrating interesting stories on celluloid and for that very reason, RAAJNEETI deserves distinction marks. Of course, the massive star cast and the sparkling performances are the icing on the cake.

Bhaskar Sanyal [Naseruddin Shah], the fire-brand leftist leader, is feared for his single-handed ability to challenge the most powerful of leaders. Until one private mistake of his hurtled him into a self-imposed exile.

Cut to the present day. Prithvi [Arjun Rampal] is the heir to a powerful political legacy and impatient to seize the top position. But his cousin, Veerendra [Manoj Bajpayee], proves his biggest political opponent. He's a man who believes he was born to rule and who will now stop at absolutely nothing to claw his way back to the top.

Cornered by family and political colleagues, Veerendra plays a new game: He picks up Sooraj [Ajay Devgn], a youngster with anger in his heart and leadership on his mind. Sooraj doesn't know the secret behind his identity, which, of course, is revealed much, much later.

Prithvi's brother Samar [Ranbir Kapoor] is an 'outsider', with no political aspirations, but he gets sucked into the battle-ravaged arena of family rivalry. Only to turn into a master of the craft of political warfare. Indu [Katrina Kaif], daughter of a wealthy industrialist, is also caught in this web. Last but not the least, there's Brij Gopal [Nana Patekar], who plays the role of mentor and guide to Prithvi and Samar as the battle gets bloodier by the day.

It requires courage to assemble a mammoth, ensemble cast, pick a story that does justice to each character and give the film the feel of an epic. Also, you ought to have comprehensive knowledge of the subject material - politics, in this case. And for all these and more Prakash Jha deserves all the praise possible. He knows the territory like the back of his hand, having observed the political culture very closely. Like I said at the outset, every character in RAAJNEETI is grey or black, not squeaky clean at all.

At an edited length of almost 3 hours, RAAJNEETI keeps the viewers glued to the goings-on for start to end. Anjum Rajabali and Prakash Jha's screenplay brings to the fore the ugly face of democracy most realistically and convincingly. The constant twists-n-turns in the story, the characters who change colours faster than chameleons and the blood-bath they indulge in are the highpoints of this film. In fact, there are sequences that merit brownie points, but it wouldn't be ethical to reveal them here since that would rob the fun while watching the film.

If the screenplay is watertight, the dialogue are equally remarkable. Every line is soaked in acid and only enhances the impact of several sequences. There's no scope for music in the film and the songs, including the hugely popular 'Mora Piya', are interspersed briefly in the narrative. Cinematography is top notch. RAAJNEETI is not an easy film to shoot, given the fact that there are more than 3 or 4 actors in every frame, besides a massive crowd of course.

To slot RAAJNEETI as a multi-starrer film would be erroneous. It's a multi-actor film and every actor delivers a sparkling performance. The film has some of the biggest names in the business, but the ones who stand out are Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal and Manoj Bajpayee. Ranbir surprises you with every film. Here's an actor who can give the best in the business sleepless nights. Arjun is a revelation and what a terrific performance he pitches in. He's like an untamed lion. Manoj delivers his career-best performance. He plays the evil part superbly.

Ajay Devgn is sidelined in the second hour, but you need to give it to the actor for accepting and enacting his part with complete conviction. Nana Patekar is brilliant. He utters the most acidic lines with a smile, which only an actor of calibre could've achieved. Actually, you can't imagine anyone else in this role. Katrina Kaif is first-rate. The sincerity and earnestness shows in every sequence. She sheds her glam doll image and transforms into an actor with this film. Naseeruddin Shah, in a brief role, does well. Sarah is good.

On the whole, RAAJNEETI makes a sweeping impact. A truly admirable effort, this brilliant film is not to be missed.

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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Raajneeti - Music Review

Read more! Cast :: Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Manoj Bajpai,Naseeruddin Shah, Arjun Rampal

Quite opposite to once expectations and Prakash Jha’s image, Raajneeti seems to be a full fledged musical once you read the names of composers and singers on the cover of this album. And most of them succeed in doing it to quite an extent. Yes, Raajneeti has it’s fare share of good music.

Raajneeti is genuinely one of the most eagerly awaited movies of the year (unlike over-hyped and over-rated trash such as the recent “Housefull”). With a director like Prakash Jha at the helm who has a strong pedigree in this genre and a stellar cast (including the director’s favourite Ajay Devgan and Nana Patekar) to befit several movies let alone one, Raajneeti is expected to portray the reality of politics in a way that has never been seen before. But what about the music? Apart from the background score (by Wayne Sharpe) which will be important, can the songs promote or add any value to such a movie? Based on Prakash Jha’s previous films the answer must be a resounding no and this theory is further compelled by the late arrival of this soundtrack (the movie is released in a few weeks!) but regardless of expectations.

The album starts with Bheegi si, bhaagi si, which is a peppy, foot-tapping, Pritam type song sung by Mohit Chauhan with a relatively very new Antara Mitra who sounds something like Shreya Ghoshal. A good one to say the least. Catchy. Not long term, but not bad certainly.

Next comes Aadesh Srivastava’s already hit composition Mora Piya mose bolat naahi. The song is definitely good, but the first complete line in the song comes after almost one and a half minutes into the song, so we definitely have a slow start at the song. Still, the song is worth listening to. Kudos to Aadesh for creating and then singing the awesome song too.

Ishq Barse is a pure item song by Shantanu Moitra who I don’t remember creating any such song before. Still, the favorite of VVC and Shyam Benegal makes this one quite fine and the Indian-rap sung by Hamsika Iyer is something worth listening to. The atkan-matkan-pigeonwa you know. Between, the song has something called a Bombay Bounce mix too, not that I got to know the difference I heard it the first time.

Dhan Dhan Dharti re, or Vande Mataram song as they are calling it, is the watch-it thing of the album. Sung by Shankar Mahadevan, and by Sonu Nigam in another version called ‘Call of the Soil’ (apne desh ki mitti ki khushboo?), the song is a poetic-patriotic feat by Gulzar and American composer Wayne Sharpe creates good enough surroundings with his Indian-Western fusion. I wonder if Rahman was asking for more money and so Prakash Jha went to an American composer for a version of Vande Mataram, but then, whatever be his reasons, the composer does his work darn good and I’m in love with this song. Read more about the song on the separate post below.

So the songs are over, but then there is a surprise. The surprise is that we have one more version of Mora Piya. This one is a Trance Mix, sung by our very own Kavita Seth. No, we don’t get her in a regular version (Does Aadesh Srivastava feel insecure??) but her voice is welcome in any version and she does the best she can in her limits.

In short, Raajneeti is worth a try, and actually worth a buy album. Prakash Jha seems to have been doing more than making just a good film this time, with some great pairings, oh-my-mouth-was-open trailers and some not-baaaad music. I just hope the movie is still as good as I hope it to be. For now, the music is above expectations, to say the least.

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01 - Bheegi Si Bhaagi Si@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Mora Piya@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Ishq Barse@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Dhan Dhan Dharti@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Mora Piya Mo Se Bolat Naahin (Trance Mix)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - Ishq Barse (The Bombay Bounce Club Mix)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Mora Piya (Twilight Mix)@review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Dhan Dhan Dharti Reprise (Call Of The Soil)@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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Friday, November 6, 2009

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Upen Patel, Darshan Jariwala, Asrani, Salman Khan, Govind Namdeo, Smita Jaykar, Navneet Nishan, Mithilesh Chaturvedi, Zakir Hussain, Jagdeep.

The story begins with the showcase of "innocence tipping balance to foolishness" of Prem (Ranbir Kapoor). That's just the start of many Charlie Chapline comical moments. Prem and his gang of good-for-nothing friends open up the Happy Club; read their hangout place where they try to solve their love problems or simply pass time. It’s when one of Prem’s friend needs to rescue his damsel in distress that his chance meeting of Jenny(Katrina Kaif) happens.

What till now was expected to be a romantic comedy turns into a slightly emotional film. However, there are some splendid moments when literally your human brain doesn’t know how to react. That’s where we bow to director Rajkumar Santoshi. For one, there’s a scene where Jenny stammers because she is upset. When Ranbir tries to console her he stammers too because he suffers from the same problem. Oh but Katrina doesn’t know this. So what does she do? One tight slap! ‘For making a mockery of my sad situation’- as she puts it. You simply don’t know how to react. You feel sorry for Ranbir, sorry for the hurt Katrina…but then why does the snigger sneak up on you then? Because the situation IS funny. You’ll know it when you go watch it. Oh yes, you can empty your wallet for this one!

However, don’t forget the mindless adjective used to describe this movie. Because simply it beats everyone whatever happened between Jenny and Prem on the bridge. It so obviously gives the impression that Jenny accepts Prem’s proposal?! Even so, when Prem goes to Goa to rescue Jenny from her forced marriage to Tony, Jenny spring out ‘Rahul’s name out of the blue. Err…excuse me? Who’s this new fella? Yes…so while we’re thinking that Prem’s world comes crashing down because Jenny apparently is in love with Rahul(Upen Patel), her school friend who’s returned from Canada.

But Prem had promised himself that he’d love Jenny with ‘no complaint, no demand.’ So the boy sticks with her and helps her get married to Rahul. However, the interaction between Prem and Rahul gets a bit drab.

This part of the film has been beautifully used for the subtle sarcasm of our country’s failings. Right from Rahul’s politician father Pitamber (Govind Namdeo) who doesn’t want his son to marry a Christian girls ’cause he’ll lose out on all the Hindu votes, to the part where a mail train can easily be stopped over a bridge for the convenience of lover-girl, and yes, the slice of media which behaves like ‘hungry wolves’ for juicy stories!

Jenny eventually realizes that she can never be happy with Rahul and that her true love is Prem. And at the end Prem’s grammatically incorrect English prayer to Jesus God is answered and his photo gets permanently stuck on Jenny’s heart!

Advertisements have been strategically hidden in the screenplay with even Ranbir speaking his youngistaan dialougue- ‘Chaaho Toh Kuch Bhi Hai Asaan’.

Salman Khan easily proves why he is the sweetheart of so many. His cameo is mind blowing and even his dialogues are painfully witty!

Pritam’s scores are good. Tu jaane na takes you into a trance, Aatif Aslam’s another gift to India. Prem ki naiyya would simply refuse to stop ringing in your heads. None of the songs seem out of place and they’ve been shot in some of the best places!

Action sequences are good with smart special effects. But they are neither gritty nor gory. Infact, the combination of Prem n Jen doing action makes you feel like you’re watching a fusion of Superman and Power Puff Girls! Kids are sure to have a blast!!

Ranbir’s many avatar’s are awe-inspiring. He perfectly brings out the rawness of an uneducated person as well as the sophistication of a gentleman. Katrina is an eye-candy in every shot and a goddess in Tu jaane na. The movie has been superbly peppered with antics from the supporting cast too. Thanks to them the faked quirky horniness of Prem’s mother Shalini(Smita Jaykar), Shankar’s (Darshan Jariwala) efforts to straighten out his son, and the laughter infusing frustration of the broke Don Sajin (Zakir Hussain)have been nicely brought out.

Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani will make you laugh if you stop questioning it. Your lover may have many shortcomings but you will still love him because that’s love. That’s what makes it strange. That’s what makes it amazing! Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is a movie with many shortcomings but once you see it you can’t help loving it. That’s what makes it Ajab. That’s what makes it Ghazab!!

Here's what we liked about Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani
  • If there is one reason why Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is worth a watch, it has to be the brilliance of Ranbir Kappor. Surrounded by mediocrity and unnecessary madness, Ranbir stands tall in yet another fabulous performance. Undoubtedly, the future ’superstar’ of Bollywood!
  • Some well written scenes (mentioned below) make the movie, a good one time watch.
  • Katrina Kaif adds immense value to the movie, purely by her screen presence and stunning looks. Its hard to take your eyes off her, due to which you manage to sit through those 2 - 3 song and dance numbers in the second half.
  • Supporting characters do well.
  • The chemistry between Katrina and Ranbir was excellent.
Sequences that deserve a mention
  • When Katrina invites Ranbir to be her dance partner and the sequences that follow with her chosen-by-parents groom are hilarious. Slightly over the top, with Ranbir dancing all the way through with weird expressions, but funny nonetheless.
  • When the jobless Ranbir takes up a job in a sweets shop to impress Katrina.
  • Those broken English dialogue scenes were nice, again credit to Ranbir’s fantastic dialogue delivery.
  • When Ranbir’s mother, in an effort to stop his father from entering the bathroom, flirts with her husband.
  • Govind Namdeo’s introductory scene which includes that funny ringtone of his assistant.
  • Last but not the least, when Salman Khan (as himself) makes a dashing special appearance. The girlfriend - yours or mine talk - is sure to bring the house down.
Download MP3 Songs
01 - Main Tera Dhadkan Teri - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
02 - Tu Jaane Na - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
03 - Oh By God - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
04 - Tera Hone Laga Hoon - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
05 - Prem Ki Naiyya - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
06 - Aa Jao Meri Tamanna - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
07 - Follow Me - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
08 - Tu Jaane Na (Reprise) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
09 - Main Tera Dhadkan Teri (Remix) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
10 - Tu Jaane Na (Remix) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
11 - Prem Ki Naiyya (Remix) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
12 - Tera Hone Laga Hoon (Remix) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
13 - Aa Jao Meri Tamanna (Remix) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
14 - Tu Jaane Na (Unplugged Version) - Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani @review-of-movies.blogspot.com


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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.

Download MP3 Song
01-de_dana_dan-rishte_naate@review-of-movies.blogspot.com

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Friday, October 16, 2009

Blue - Movie Review

Read more! Cast :: Sanjay Dutt,Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif, Rahul Dev, Kylie Minogue.

BLUE, the most awaited movie of the year, with its canvas as huge as the ocean, comes alive on the Hindi screen this Friday. Like every biggie, this one also comes with the baggage of monumental expectations. With tremendous hype surrounding it, the inescapable question that crosses your mind is, will BLUE live up to those colossal expectations?

Let me keep it concise and to the point. You haven't watched something like this on the Hindi screen before. Never ever!

It requires courage, willpower, fortitude, vision and of course, the financial backing to accomplish a project of this magnitude. And debutante director Anthony D'Souza puts his skills and the financial resources to best use. BLUE is not merely a stunning looking film, it's also a well structured film. Most importantly, it's a solid entertainer that packs in so much in those 1.58 hours.

Final word? Go, grab a ticket, if you haven't booked one yet. This under-sea treasure hunt is a kickass film. A must-see for all those who love adventure flicks.

BLUE is set in the sun-soaked white sand beaches of Bahamas. Sagar [Sanjay Dutt] is a simpleton, while his friend Aarav [Akshay Kumar] is a rich, ambitious businessman.

Sagar's brother Sameer aka Sam [Zayed Khan] has inadvertently managed to rankle the mafia in Bangkok [Rahul Dev]. He flees Bangkok and arrives in Bahamas. But the dangerous men reach Bahamas too. Sagar is the sole person who can bail him out from this crisis, but to save his brother, Sagar has to wrestle with the ghost of his dead father.

If you're a die-hard moviegoer, you'd draw parallels with a lot of international projects [especially THE DEEP] that were set in the ocean. In Bollywood, flashes of the Dharmendra - Jeetendra starrer SAMRAAT cross your mind instantaneously, but comparing the two is akin to comparing chalk and cheese.

BLUE grabs your attention from its opening titles itself. The marine life, which you may've watched on National Geographic Channel or Animal Planet, comes alive in all splendour at the start itself.

The story is uncomplicated and Anthony D'Souza garnishes it beautifully. If the aquatic life keeps your eyes wide open, the action sequences are sure to make your jaws drop to your knees. The bike chase at the start, yet another chase subsequently, the chase soon after the interval [atop a running train] is simply astounding.

Anthony's expertise comes to the fore in several sequences. One sequence that needs to be singled out is when Sanju narrates the tragic past, how he was responsible for his father's death. It's simply incredible!

Major portions of the film have been filmed in the ocean and you can't stop admiring and appreciating the enormous contribution of the underwater cinematographer [Pete Zuccarini]. The lighting in those sequences deserves special mention. Also, the underwater sequences, which feature aquatic life like puffer fish, stingrays and sharks, hold tremendous appeal. Cinematography [Laxman Utekar] is gorgeous.

On the flip side, the climax could've been more impactful. The villain's track looks clichéd, but you tend to overlook the minor aberration since the film never falls prey to mediocrity.

Anthony D'Souza is a director to watch. This film has style as well as substance. Also, it requires courage and conviction to think out of the box and most importantly, execute the material with panache. There's not much scope for music in an action thriller, yet A.R. Rahman's score suits the requirements. The Kylie Minogue track - 'Chiggy Wiggy' - is already popular. Sanju and Lara's romantic track - 'Aaj Dil' - is sensuous. The song at the end credits - 'Fiqrana' - has a lot of energy.

Sound design [Resul Pookutty] is fantastic. Action scenes [James D. Bomalick and R.P. Yadav] are a treat and, in fact, one of the mainstays of the film. Dialogues [Mayur Puri] are effective, while the screenplay [Anthony D'Souza and Jasmine D'Souza] is well thought-out, especially towards the second hour.

Sanjay Dutt carries his part well, although he looks very well-fed in some scenes. Akshay Kumar steals the show with a sterling performance. This would easily classify amongst his best works. Zayed Khan is highly competent. This, despite the fact that he's sharing the screen space with two hugely experienced actors.

Lara Dutta has never looked so good before. Though the story revolves around the guys, you can't overlook Lara's small but significant contribution to the film. Katrina Kaif looks gorgeous and performs exceedingly well. The feminine charm [at the start specifically] would send the youth in a frenzy. Rahul Dev is first-rate. Kabir Bedi is hardly there.

On the whole, BLUE has style as well as substance. The film has everything going in its favour, right from its incredible star cast to the superb action scenes to the hitherto unseen marine life to the tremendous hype and hoopla. At the box-office, BLUE will strike like a hurricane in the festive week. It should set new benchmarks in days to come. In short, the business will be humungous.

Download MP3 Song
Blue - 01 - Aaj Dil @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
Blue - 02 - Bhoola Tujhe @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
Blue - 03 - Chiggy Wiggy @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
Blue - 04 - Fiqrana @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
Blue - 05 - Rehnum @review-of-movies.blogspot.com
Blue - 06 - Yaar Mila Tha @review-of-movies.blogspot.com

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