Jatt James Bond : Movie Review

Jatt James Bond, is a prima facie example which further cements the fact that Punjabi Cinema is evolving and growing in stature with due course of time. Finally, we have a film which neither has same all through comedy track nor is a Rom-com which has been the premise of most Punjabi movies that have released lately. Jatt James Bond has a solid plot ably backed up by well baked characters, crispy witty dialogues, charming romance, good performances and foot tapping music. Director Rohit Jugraj has inter-wined romantic track & thriller elements in a perfect blend, although romantic track in the second half goes a bit lengthy n awry but I still give it to Jugraj. Every emotion in this film has been put in right quantity : with not a tear or laughter going in excess ; in fact the goons also get the right amount of dishum dishum with not even a single blow going wasted. Romantic, partially funny ,Racy & thrilling ; Jatt James Bond will keep you on your toes with a suspense element too thrown in towards the end. So, get ready, Not for a film but a journey called "JATT JAMES BOND", which states what are the two things that make the world go around ? Love and Money. Also, the movie follows them in the same order - Love comes first, Money follows or has to be followed. Whether it is the love for your partner, companion, your family or for your friends .....Man can go to any extent to achieve that love, this is the crux of JATT JAMES BOND.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                             ::                                   The story has been penned down by Jass Grewal & the credit for the screenplay goes to Jass Grewal along with Jatinder Lall. The story of the film is not only gripping but it also has something new and fresh to offer. The thriller part of the story has been sketched to perfection and is quite racy n unusual if compared to what we have seen in earlier Punjabi flicks. Watch out for the scene where Gippy plans the robbery with his friends by keeping props of the village landmarks on the ground & how after cops start placing locals in Shaque da Ghera by placing objects on table, after the robbery takes place. Such scenes have never been shown on Punjabi celluloid. Had the screenplay been a bit more tighter, this movie would have been a winner all the way. The screenplay goes a bit awry in the beginning as well as the second half before the heat is turned on again. It's the story of a village Simpleton Shinda ( Gippy Grewal ) who is a school bus driver in love with Lalli ( Zareen Khan ) who is a school teacher. There is a big class difference between both of them which makes their love look like taboo. Now, Lalli's brother ( Vindu Dara Singh ) comes into play & says he will get his sister married to Shinda, provided he buys a house of his own in next one month. Shinda, who is expecting some money from his ancestral property via his uncle ( Avtar Gill ) is ditched at the last moment. Seeing, no other option to save his love he plans a bank robbery along with his two friends played by Gurpreet Ghuggi & Yashpal Sharma. The twist comes, when the amount in the bank which they were expecting to be in lacs turns out to be in crores. Actually, some black money was kept in the bank that day at the behest of local M.L.A ( Mukesh Rishi) which is robbed by Gippy & company. This results in total mayhem with several heads at stake. Whether Gippy will get his love back, or will the robbers be caught, Will henchmen of MLA catch n kill them : forms rest of the story. 

STARCAST                                                                  ::                Gippy Grewal as Shinda is simply first rate. He has nailed his character to perfection and has given a commendable performance. It can be hailed as his best performance till date due to lot of factors. Actually, this character has a lot of shades to portray throughout the flick ranging from romance, comedy, anger, frustration and action which Gippy has been able to portray with aplomb. Another, surprise comes from Gurpreet Ghuggi as this actor has generally cracked jokes or performed witty characters. In this movie, you will see Ghuggi in a new avatar altogether who has not only acted well but has also performed ably in some senti scenes that are good enough to make audience weep. Zarine Khan has looked pretty and shared a wonderful on-screen chemistry with Gippy. Her portrayal of Lalli is commendable considering its her debut Punjabi movie. Another person who makes his debut into Punjabi cinema with this film is Yashpal Sharma who has performed commendably. The scenes of the trio : Gippy, Ghuggi & Yashpal Sharma are a treat to watch as their camaraderie has been captured wonderfully and looks very convincing. Mukesh Rishi looks every inch the cunning MLA with his perfect body language. Shahbaz Khan as the Police Inspector is a bit loud but that is his style. Same can be said about Vindu Dara Singh. Karamjeet Anmol as corrupt Munshi evokes some dose of laughter.             

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                        ::                          Another, big aspect going in favour of the movie is that it is technically very sound. The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by four music directors namely Surinder Rattan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mukhtar Sahota & Jatinder Shah. Their collaboration has worked well as the album has turned out exceedingly well with some good melodious tracks. I will also like to applaud the good work of Babban, the Art director of this movie who has done his job to utmost perfection with perfect rural setting. The cinematography of the movie has been handled by Parixit Warrior who has done a fantastic job and has captured real good shots via his lens especially the aerial ones. The movie has been edited by Sandeep Francis who has edited the movie crisply and has kept the runtime to 141 minutes. But, the movie belongs to director, Rohit Jugraj who has been able to extract the best from his cast n crew and has given this movie a complete professional bollywood touch. Rohit knows his craft well which is evident from the on-screen proceedings of this movie as he has handled each n every shot with precision. 

CONCLUSION                                                           ::                    JATT JAMES BOND is not the run of the mill stuff that we have watched in the last so many Punjabi flicks. Mind you, its a not a comedy but a racy film which has got the right amount of entertainment ingredients thrown in. For Punjabi cinema connoisseurs, its a must watch.       

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

Revolver Rani : Movie Review

Revolver Rani comes across as a brazen, intrepid, cheeky,  gaudy piece of cinema with entertainment written all over it. So what, if it carries a stark resemblance to Quentin Tarantino's style of film making, cause what matters in the end is whether you got your ticket's worth. And, this flick is a fultoo paisa wasool kind of flick provided you have a penchant for brash n brazen cinema. ‘Revolver Rani’ is about the dirty politics, the Bollywood dreams, and the earning for a life uncompromised and loved. The film flits from the personal to the political, the emotional to the egregious, and the absurd to the deadly serious. For the most part, Revolver Rani hits the bull’s eye. It is both uproariously funny and deeply disturbing: just the kind of material that is right up Kangana Ranaut’s street. Sai Kabir’s wicked take on the turbulent life of a hell’s angel in a man’s world is the cinematic equivalent of a smorgasbord. Its nods are directed at diverse genres – noir, vengeance saga, comic caper, political satire, mock-heroic legend, and a good old tale of valour in the face of extreme danger. These are vigorously stirred into an invigorating cocktail that stands out primarily because at the heart of it all is an unstoppable girl who pulls no punches.The film also alludes to corruption in, and the human cost of, the indiscriminate acquisition of tribal land at the behest of big industry.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                               ::                      The story as well as screen play has been written by Sai Kabir who is also the director of this movie. The narrative in its illustrious moments lures us into its absorbing premises before turning languid. Sai Kabir’s story about this crazy, ugly, soft-hearted yet dangerous woman is good and quite different from the usual stories. But his screenplay has its inconsistencies. While some portions are interesting and entertaining, there are also some parts which are boring and appear stretched. Politics, Power, Love & Revenge form the basics of this story. But it isn’t a coherent tale with its glitches surfacing quite soon in the story. The strong characterizations do help in making the story hold its ground but the fundamental problem is the way the film unfolds. It is quite a simplistic story which if tackled well contained the embryo of a terrific film, but that didn’t quite work. I quite liked the granular satire in the writing which never barges with the narrative but acts as a calm catalyst, refraining from going over the top. Revolver Rani  is the story of an ugly and fiery woman, Alka Singh (Kangana Ranaut), who spews venom at her detractors and fires bullets at the slightest provocation and living with maternal uncle, Balli (Piyush Mishra). Uday Bhan Singh (Zakir Hussain), a corrupt politician, is elected from the Chambal region. Alka Singh, who is from the opposition party, hates him and wants to expose him. Alka, meets & falls in love with struggling Bollywood actor Rohan Kapoor (Vir Das). Rohan loves another girl, Nisha (Deana Uppal) but starts living with her for the sake of getting his movie produced by her. Then one day, Uday Bhan Singh is forced to resign because of Balli’s machinations. Fresh elections are announced and Balli uncle is thrilled that this would be Alka’s chance to be back in power. But even as election campaigning is underway, Alka gets pregnant.What happens then? Does Alka live happily ever after with Rohan and her baby Or does her uncle convince her to put politics before all else forms the rest of the plot.

   

STARCAST                                                ::                      Kangana is effortlessly enigmatic as the roguish Alka, who flaunts a little bit of her real self. Her quirky (international) fashion acquisitions, some exclusively to her lover at night, and her keenness to speak English are obvious references to Kangana’s personality. It’s mind-blowing to watch her take on the different facets of the girl-gone-bad. Kangana lends a crackling and corrosively sharp edge to the central character of a tough-as-nails woman in a mug’s game. Vir Das is a total misfit in this world. Vir Das was quite half baked in his work and gave a performance that did not quite have a soul. His role had a lot of possibility and scope but the actor doesn’t quite try experimenting much with it. Zakir Hussain is perfectly cast as the strongman who is forever on the back foot. He moves back and forth between bravado and bafflement with effortless ease. Piyush Mishra gives Alka’s cunning uncle Balli a subtle, vicious twist, allowing us to watch him weave conspiracies and nurture an underhanded desire to win political glory. He’s impeccable. Even Zeishan Quadri as the Michael-Jackson obsessed Pilot is remarkable. Mishka is first-rate as news reader Payal Parihar.  Deana Uppal is effective as Nisha. Sanjay Singh (as the home minister), Nikunj Malik (as Zaheera Shaikh) are okay. But it is  Kumud Kumar Mishra (as Sonu) and Pankaj Saraswat (as Monu) who have done a fantastic job and manage to bring smiles on your face lot of times with their acting skills. 

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                   ::                     The soundtrack of the movie which has been composed by Sanjeev Srivastava is impressive. The music is quite in vogue with the screenplay and is quite different from the tunes we hear these days. I would like to make a special mention of Mayur Sharma who is the production designer for this movie for his efforts as his detailing is very precise as apart from what is happening in the forefront, the background is abuzz with activities which makes every scene rich and interesting. The cinematographer of the movie is Suhas Gujarathi who has captured the frames well with his lens and has lent a good visual appeal to the flick. Aarti Bajaj has edited the movie who will come under the line of fire as far as her role is concerned although her job might not have been that easy with some weak screenplay in between. Sai Kabir who has made his debut as director with this movie shows some promise with his fine skills. He has ably managed to catch hold of audience' attention despite some hiccups in the screenplay. His eye for detailing can be attributed as his strongest point as  In every scene, the ambiance he sets, the mood he creates, the pitch of it all shows the director’s potential with regards to attaining finesse in the matter at hand.

The detailing is precise and apart from what is happening in the forefront, the background is abuzz with activities which make every scene rich and interesting. - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/movie-review-revolver-rani/15251066#sthash.2ZI5MfTb.dpuf

 WOW MOMENTS                                              ::                             Scenes of news reader Payal which keep on coming after frequent intervals during the movie are hillarious especially her signature ending of every news bulletin. The scene where Kangana gatecrashes into the rally of Zakir is very stylish & has been shot well. The whole drama around marriage of Vir Das & his getting converted into Muslim religion is full of black humor n wittiness.

The director (Sai Kabeer) devotedly sticks to the realities of the residents of this valley, where gun toting is more a way of life than a privilege. - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/movie-review-revolver-rani/15251066#sthash.yoTmnmfL.dpuf

The director (Sai Kabeer) devotedly sticks to the realities of the residents of this valley, where gun toting is more a way of life than a privilege. - See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/movie-review-revolver-rani/15251066#sthash.yoTmn

CONCLUSION                                                 ::                               Revolver Rani is exclusively for those who can grasp the subtleties of black comedy.  For the mettlesome imagination, Revolver Rani makes for a gripping watch. 

ROHIT SHARMA.

Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105

rohitreview@gmail.com

 

2 States : Movie Review

2 States is a feel good film which corroborates that if content from best selling book is meticulously woven into a good script n screenplay, you don't need big stars or stellar sets to make a good entertaining movie. 2 States is a romantic comedy which scores for being earthly and grounded. 2 States takes the North-South divide extremely seriously and since, according to the film, South Indians are from Venus and North Indians are from Planet Red Bull, I should probably disclose here that my loyalties lie on the Northern side since perspectives are bound to differ based on culture and geography.  2 States' romantic angle is a little difficult to connect given the way it is moved along in such a hurry in order to incorporate everything, but the family side of the bargain is truly touching. If you're as desi as I am and get senti about Maa & Paa, there's no way you won't run home after watching this film and give your folks a big hug. The best thing about Two States is that it is fresh -- in the casting,  the approach, and the language. It's the kind of romcom that makes you go 'hmmm' rather than 'awwww.' The language spoken by all the characters is no different from one used by everyday people, and it's not like actors saying lines. From the make-out scenes to the fights between the couple, it's all very life-like and non-filmi. 

STORY & SCREENPLAY                  ::                  The credit for the story of the movie obviously belongs to Chetan Bhagat courtsey his book " 2 States " but the screenplay adaption has been done by Abhishek Varman who has done a wonderful job as he has spun an interesting tale.The love story between Arjun and Alia is thankfully kept simple, which is exactly what Makes it beautiful. It is not mundane but comes without any outrageous Bollywood airs. The film opens with Krish Malhotra (Arjun Kapoor) settled on the sofa of a psychiatrist's office as he narrates the story of his life. What follows is the usual boy-meets-girl story. They fall in love.Their parents don't. 2 States chronicles Ananya Swaminathan and Krish Malhotra's trials as they try to make their parents see that their love for each other is above the petty lines of region and language, but their effort of bringing their families together threatens to tear them apart. In the beginning the relationship is all biology but something about spending time with Ananya sees Krish growing up. Ananya, for her part, seems to be completely sorted with hardly any internal conflicts and very little back story. Krish's relationship with his family, particularly his mother, is better explored than his relationship with Ananya, which results in 2 States being more of a deep and meaningful family drama than a romance. The film is really cheesy but I won't hold that against it. Stereotypes are never lacking and even though, as a North Indian, I understand what the film is trying to say about different points of view of looking at the same thing, I also find the extent that they take it to a little offensive.
 

STARCAST                           ::                                 I would like to commend, Nandini Shrikent who is the casting director of this movie for choosing the appropriate Star cast as almost all the actors have given a wonderful non-filmy kindda performance as per their characters. Arjun Kapoor breaks his own typecast and performs strongly in this romcom film quite unlike him. He looks every inch the very boy next door and immensely lovable. Thank God the brooding angry mould is finally cast away and Kapoor proves to be quite a sunshine when the script demands for it. Alia Bhatt is a stunner and that quite works in her favor & she is looking so beautiful in this flick that you can’t take your eyes off her even when she fumbles in a scene or two.She looks the perfect Ananya and pulls through the role with gravitas and confidence. Ronit Roy as Arjun's Dad has given an impeccable performance with his calm and understated portrayal of a disgraced army man, whose abusive behaviour has destroyed his chance of a relationship with his only child. Amrita Singh is charm personified as the overbearing Punjabi mother, who manages to rise above the caricature images of earlier on screen Punjabi mothers and brings her own stamp of joviality and grace to her brash Kavita. This gifted actress needs more film outings to do her justice. Similar can be said about Achint Kaur, another gifted actress who will charm you with her portrayal of Arjun's Maasi especially with her right refugee Punjabi dialect. She has proved her versatility by playing this role to perfection. Revathy and Shiv Kumar Subramaniam as Ananya’s parents bring their own dignity to their roles but unfortunately their characters don’t get elucidated adequately as they play conservative Tamilian Folks.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                ::                          The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by the talented trio of Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy which is pleasing to ears and in sync with the movie. The background music has been composed by Parik & Tubby who have done their job to perfection. The cinematographer of the movie is Binod Pradhan whose lens has captured some lovely, unfussy images unto the screen. The cinematography is plush and passionate & makes the visuals an occasion for optical enchantment. The movie has been edited by Namrata Rao, who although has done a good job but i feel it could have been better. The run-time of the movie is 149 minutes which is slightly long and better editing could have made up for it. Debutant director Abhishek Varman knows his job well and knows how to tell a story embedding individual scenes with a distinctive personality without straining for effect. It is never easy for a director to spin a narrative which has a clear ending from its first frame. To draw the audience in, he must create a film that is crisp and engaging, peppered with just the right amount of Bollywood kitsch that will entertain for nearly three hours which Varman has not only done well but also scored Brownie points for the same. 

 WOW MOMENTS      ::                                 The face-off scenes between Revathy and Amrita Singh are fantastic. The little nuances are enjoyable and done to perfection. In the scene which shows Arjun’s first tryst with a typical silent Tamilian household that reminds him of a funeral situation in a Punjabi household is crackling. Also when Amrita and Revathy clash on their Tamil and Punjabi sensibilities is entirely entrapping

CONCLUSION                   ::                         Nevertheless, there's nothing that should keep you from watching 2 States. The ethos of the middle class children and there tendency to play appeaser to their parents more than rebellious has been wonderfully portrayed on screen through this flick.

ROHIT SHARMA.

Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105

rohitreview@gmail.com

DISCO SINGH :: Movie Review

Anurag Singh's DISCO SINGH is nothing but disjointed storyline, scratchy screenplay that too lifted in parts from Govinda, Sushmita Sen starrer Hindi flick, " DO KNOT DISTURB " which itself sank without a trace. But, fortunately for him he has a savior in the form of Diljit Dosanjh who ably rescues audience whenever the movie delves deep into enormity of boredom. What to say.....about this ..Lattu Disco Singh. He has single handed-ly carried this movie on his extra super size broad shoulders & pumps up the adrenaline level of audience whenever he appears on-screen & this i am writing after witnessing the euphoria while sitting amongst audience myself. Lot was expected from the formidable combination of Diljit & Anurag as both of them excelled together in their last flicks. But sorry Anurag, this time it is Diljit's show all the way who has thankfully managed to save a sinking ship having potholes in its story, screenplay & even editing. The movie definitely has its moments but they come in between when you are on the verge of getting frustrated with some over the top gags of Manoj Pahwa. The confrontation scenes between Manoj & his henchmen plus Manoj & his wife have been stretched like anything which spoil the fun. But it is Diljit, with his powerful screen presence who makes you sit and watch this movie with a smile on your face.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                    ::::          The credit for the story as well as the screenplay has been given to Anurag Singh which really amuses me to my wits end as it is the weakest part of this movie. It cant be expected from a writer of the caliber of  Anurag, who has written movies like Jatt & Juliett, Yaar Anmulle which kind of brought whiff of fresh air to Punjabi cinema & audience. This storyline is totally old wine in new bottle and that too with leakage in it. The movie begins with two funny henchmen of a local don keeping watch on a house & than local Don Bhupinder Singh (Manoj Pahwa) arrives and shoots the house owner. There is a twist in the tale of Don, he loves a model, Sweety (Surveen Chawla) but he is beaten by brooms at home by his wife (Upasna Singh) who is daughter of a bigger Don. Cut two, scene moves to a small house where Lattu Singh (Diljit Dosanjh) who owns a world famous band on streets of Delhi, is washing clothes and interacting with Babag (Almighty)  to change his destiny & help him cut a video album with sweety. Babag listens as Sweety is called to perform at a ceremony where Don tries to impress her but a scribe clicks their picture in which fortunately or unfortunately face of Lattu Singh also appears. Now, Don's wife creates a scene on seeing the picture in a newspaper & hires a Detective to confirm Don's relationship status with Sweety.  Don lies that Sweety loves Lattu who both are there in the picture. Rest you can understand.....Don blackmails both Lattu n Sweety to do acting of lovers who after spending some time with each other start loving each other..Blah..Blah..Blah...Arrre, Abhi kahani khatam nahin hui, Don has a daughter too who is always rescued by our own  Lattu Singh whenever she is in trouble and she also falls for him.  And the chaos begins............

STARCAST                                                       ::::          This is a department where movie scores heavily as most of the actors have performed really well as per the characters assigned to them with Diljit Dosanjh leading from the front. He is a guy who can be truly called a real shining STAR of Punjabi cinema. He nails his character of Lattu Singh to perfection and leaves no stone unturned to entertain audience.Although, we have seen him speaking to Babag sitting alone in earlier flicks too but still he carries off the same scene with aplomb. Be it his witty conversations with Babag, cute innocent way of wishing Happy B'day to Surveen, Macho style bashing of goons or heartbroken face expressions when Surveen refuses that she loves him, he excels in all of them. In fact, it seems as if he is like One Size Fits All. Surveen Chawla is real impressive as Sweety as her character is that of a model and she has looked real pretty, every inch like a model. On the acting front, she didn't have much scope as per the script but she has done well as per her role. Manoj Pahwa & Upasna Singh have delivered good performances but unfortunately their characters have been over sketched. Kudos, to B.M.Sharma for playing a transvestite character on Punjabi celluloid and to his credit he has been real successful in portraying the exact mannerisms but he has also been not utilized that well. In the ensemble cast you can see Karamjeet Anmol, Chandan Prabhakar and Apoorva Arora who have done their bit to keep you amused.


TECHNICAL FINESSE                                         ::::        The soundtrack of the movie has been  composed by Jatinder Shah which is peppy and in sync with the proceedings on-screen. Couple of tracks like the signature song Disco Singh & Sweeto are hummable & stay with you. The whole movie has been shot in and around Delhi & the cinematographer of the movie is Anshul Chobey. Anshul has done a real good job and has been able to capture some real good frames with his lens. The movie has been edited by  talented Manish More who has failed to impress this time as the editing of this movie could have been more sleek with respect to climax as well as some other scenes. The run-time of this movie is 141 minutes which definitely could have been shortened. I am afraid to say that Anurag Singh has not been able to deliver goods that are expected from him both as a writer as well as director. Its astonishing to see Diljit Singh appearing in the screenplay after big time gaps and more screen space given to Manoj, his henchmen and Upasna Singh. As a director,he has not utilized his trump card to maximum potential which is not expected from Anurag at all. 


CONCLUSION                                                               ::::         Disco Singh, is definitely an entertainer but it charms you in parts. It can be seen for the naturally gifted actor Diljit Dosanjh and his magnificent screen presence whenever he appears on -screen else Disco Singh is nothing much to write about.   

ROHIT SHARMA.

Follow me on twitter at  https://twitter.com/smgr105

rohitreview@gmail.com

JAL : Movie Review

Jal leaves you with many fluttering strands of thought swimming in the tormented tides of humanity's most deprived and financially challenged part of civilization where drinking water is more precious than gold. It's a never-before visual experience. Tapestried and tempestuous, the tides of Girish Malik's narrative rise and swell like the frequent sandstorms in the desertscape that Sunita Radia's camera captures so evocatively in this saga of raging ragas. Jal takes its own time in unravelling, fooling itself into believing that a certain Govarikar is its creator, and when it finally does reach its climax, it turns out to be completely predictable. Its like that tempting cake which has been garnished with blueberries on top and looks yummy but when you put in mouth, it turns out to be half baked. The movie definitely has lot of high moments which really excite you but unfortunately they come in between.Though for the first hour the film appears lucid and gripping, the second hour becomes bothersome and tediously long. What really destroyed the quintessence of the film is the rough and casual editing that doesn’t allow the magnanimity of scene to settle in. Jal could have been an eloquent offering but misses the tranquility that doesn’t let the drama’s tempo settle in. There is no room for emotion in a dog eat dog world; and all these plans sound brilliant but they really amount to nothing if not executed efficiently.  Kudos for shooting on location for authenticity, but eventually, it is this wide canvas that creates a problem of plenty.  

SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                ::::                 The credit for the story has been given to Rakesh Mishra & the screenplay of the movie is joint effort of Girish Malik & Rakesh Mishra. The script must have seemed tempting on paper, and definitely has all the necessary ingredients ranging from drama to romance to keep audiences going. Luckily, the story doesn’t don a garb of pseudo intellectualism in telling a rather simplistic story. The story is tropical and interesting; the execution of screenplay, not so much. The writing descends into an obscure offshoot of crudity revolving around a bunch of horny villagers and their visiting 'gori' guest—scenes that are clearly inserted as comic relief to lighten the drama.  The story opens with a small village in Kutch.  The story is about Bakka who is a water God of sorts in his circles. It is the sprawling Rann Of Kutch that almost forms a perfect canvas to tell a story about how quintessential water is for the people there. In one of the opening sequences, a gang of women attack a foreigner when she drinks water from a well of an enemy village. The story doesn’t invest much in unraveling the inter or intra village dynamics. Even Bakka’s love for Kesar comes without a backstory and hence it is baffling when in one scene she attacks him and in the next she is taking a bath with him. Even Kajri’s love for Bakka though evident from the start could have been elucidated further. Definitely it was the water scarcity and water salinity that is the prime focus of the story, but the script doesn’t tie loose-ends in terms of etching out sharp characters. The loss of flamingos have been handled with poise surely. Though tackled very conveniently, we are obviously not to believe that the Government co-operated so smoothly in helping them get water to the lands. Even that faction of the story could have been elaborated on but the script keeps it utterly simplistic and easy without investing much in infusing any drama to it.

STARCAST                                          :::::              Another, highpoint of the movie is its performances which are like very close to reality. It is Purab Kohli who is smashing as Bakka. He nails his character, his mannerisms and displays solid conviction in his portrayal. Probably one of his real performances where he has stretched the contours of his acting abilities well. Kirti Kulhari plays Bakka’s love interest and looks the right amount of seductive and sexy. But to her disadvantage she doesn't have a meaty role. Tanishtha Chatterjee has done well as she is a fine actor but her attire & her looks in this movie seem like an extension of her last release i.e. Gulabi Gang. The trio who have managed to entertain the most with their confrontations in movie & witty characters are : Ravi Gosain, Yashpal Sharma & Rahul Singh. Ravi Gosain as Purab's friend (Rakla) has given an astounding performance and has shown his potential as a fine actor. He definitely deserves to be seen more on big screen. Same can be said for Rahul Singh (Kisna Prasad) whose mannerisms of Sarkari officer & dialect will definitely bring smile on your face. Yashpal Sharma has proven his versatility as an actor umpteen times and in this movie his Hinglish manages to raise guffaws. Mukul Dev as Puniya looks ruthless but his screen presence is again limited.   

TECHNICAL FINESSE                    ::::                       The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by two music directors i.e. Sonu Nigam & Bickram Ghosh which is average kinds. Given the ambitious scale, one can sense the excitement of the cinematographer i.e. Sunita Radia. This is evident from an obsession with jibs and haze filters. Jal captures the bare beauty of the golden cracked earth and its tortuous tapestry in artfully mounted frames. It's a picture-perfect album with stark sights and parched souls.The movie has been edited by Protim Khaound which is not at all crisp and has taken the charm of the movie away from the audience. The movie has been directed by Girish Malik and It is a little difficult to understand what he wants to show the viewer since he does not bother to create subplots but lets storylines run independent of each other and eventually, when everything does entangle, it turns into absolute chaos. Malik focuses too heavily on making the lands look larger than life and misses out on building the temper of the film adequately. Probably it is not as much as Malik’s fault as much as his editing department. As a result, movie which could have turned out be truly remarkable flatly turns out as an average fare.

CONCLUSION                                ::::                Jal is a magnificently shot film but doesn’t quite imbibe the needful spirit. It's a story of people and how their lives are weaved together. Watch the movie if such 'experimental' movies interest you, or any new kind of cinema. In case pure entertainment is your drug, skip this one.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/jal-movie-review-girish-malik-purab-kohli-kirti-kulhari-tannishtha-chatterjee/1/352682.html

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

Main Tera Hero :: Movie review

Main Tera Hero has both strains of comedy, the crass and the truly funny, but in the end it is the latter that dominates. The sheer absurdity of the screwball plot does not weigh unduly heavy on the film because the likeable oddballs that populate it quickly get on top of things. Of course, amid the frantic pace of Main Tera Hero, the one film old and understandably over enthusiastic Varun Dhawan is frequently in danger of tripping over the line but he not only performs well but carries the movie with aplomb. Main Tera Hero is a laugh riot, unapologetically mindless but infectiously boisterous and off-the -wall. Do not look for logic and sense here at all. Just sit back and enjoy the harmless lunacy unleashed by a bunch of cranks whose actions would make little sense if they were to be judged by the rules normal human behaviour. Main Tera Hero is an action-packed romantic comedy that is peppered with vivacious performances, peppy musical set pieces, and a breezy and an unusual love triangle that eventually acquires an additional angle.  

SCRIPT & SCREENPLAY                ::::         The credit for the story & screenplay has been given to Tushar Hirandani but the story, which is clearly only a pretext to hang the film's many gags on, delivers frantic twists and turns that strain credulity. Main Tera Hero is the kind of loopy, askew-me plot that makes no claims to any intellectual gratification. Its naked unassuming goofiness is its greatest USP. Although the plot is skimpier than the two heroine's costumes put together, it derives terrific energy and sustenance from its leading man's zest for life. The writing vacillates vibrantly between the perky and the puerile. Needless to say its a no brainer but i will try to explain what happens on screen. Our desi style hero Seenu (Varun Dhawan) who has a perfect body leaves his home town Ooty to go Bangalore to prove his worth and get a degree. Once he lands in a colourful college, he falls in love with Sunaina (Ileana D'Cruz). Problems start right there because Angad (Arunoday Singh) who is double the size of Seenu madly loves Sunaina and doesn't let anyone talk to her and yes, he is also a police officer. Suddenly out of nowhere while Seenu and Sunaina are on a bike, she is kidnapped and flown on a chopper straight to Bangkok. Why ?? Here's the bizarre explanation. It happens because Ayesha (Nargis Fakri) who till now didn't exist in the film fell head over heels for Seenu seeing his herogiri on the train from Ooty to Bangalore. They are told that the best way to get Seenu to Bangkok is to first kidnap Sunaina as than her lover boy will naturally find his way to the drug lord's (Anupam Kher) mansion somewhere in Bangkok. The rest of the plot I leave for your imagination and I'm sure that will be much better than what you get to see in Main Tera Hero.

STARCAST                                                      ::::                              Perhaps the most refreshing thing about Main Tera Hero is that it features no superstars in the lead roles which gives you the chance to watch Varun Dhawan transform from that-guy-who-isn't-Siddharth Malhotra to Varun Dhawan. A blend of Salman Khan's cool and Govinda's dance moves, Dhawan redefines the words 'screen presence' with his high voltage performance. Playing Seenu, the no-good wastrel who cons his way through a series of outrageous escapades. To his credit the Dhawan scion carries off the incessant demand on his performing skills. In fact, every character in this movie is in the wink-wink mode. Ileana D'Cruz is not to be left behind as Dhawan's love interest, shedding the solemn air from her debut hindi release to reveal a more fun side. Nargis Fakri tries her level best to match upto both these but her acting and dialogue delivery both need lot of improvement. Arunoday Singh has played his character with conviction and looks good in action scenes but has to work more on buffoonery. Now, talking of buffoonery you have a long list of ensemble actors who have tried to outperform each other namely Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Manoj Pahwa, Saurabh Shukla and Evelyn Sharma.      

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                        ::::       The soundtrack by Sajid-Wajid is thankfully devoid of the usual mandatory Sufi-Pop track and instead chooses to go full Masala way, which suits the energy of the movie a lot more.However, the songs still remain largely unrelated to the story and keep cropping randomly. The background music by Sandip Shirodkar is completely in tandem with the screenplay and is catchy enough. I need to mention two names i.e. Nilesh Wagh who is the art director and Sukant Panigrahy who is the production designer as they have made the movie look lavish and big in grandeur. Cinematography by Sanjay.F.Gupta is exemplary and his lens has captured the locales to perfection and the movie is a visual treat. Nitin Madhukar Rokade has artfully edited the flick and kept it at just the right length of 128 minutes keeping you hooked. Main Tera Hero is basically a director's movie namely David Dhawan who as a tough taskmaster has extracted strong performances from the lead pair which is the high point of movie. David has made a surprisingly clean movie for the most part but doesn't seem to have been able to resist the temptation to indulge in a few less-than-tasteful jokes in second half.   

CONCLUSION                                                     :::::          It is a typical David Dhawan kind of a commercial pot boiler made with just one aim - Entertainment, Entertainment & Entertainment. But it will only work out for you if you watch the movie without putting strain on your brain, so if you are looking at logics than its strictly no no for you.     

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com