Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon :: Movie Review

Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon which marks Kapil Sharma's foray into Bollywood and Director duo Abbas Mustan's foray into comedy genre is a situational comedy replete with chaos, confusions, witty one liners, polygamy making it a delightful fare provided you watch it without putting your thinking caps on. Director duo, Abbas Mustan who have a penchant for making thrillers have utilized their skills to helm a comedy film this time. And, they have taken big time inspiration from the 90's flicks directed by David Dhawan and to some extent from films of Anees Bazme whose mantra is simple ; thrown in lots of characters, create chaos, make them undergo some obnoxious situations and an illogical comedy film is complete. But, in order to enjoy & relish such movies, you have to just sit back, relax and enjoy the on-screen proceedings without using your brain and trying to find logic in the narrative. Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon falls under the same category of movies and seems to be inspired from Govinda starrer 'Sajan Chale Sasural' and Anees Bazmee's 'No Entry'. KKPK has a wafer-thin plot which has been done to death umpteen times before but the constant flow of gags and witty one liners never let the entertainment quotient of the movie dip. The movie might be nonsensical, callous but it doesn't let boredom come near you while you are watching it. The makers have presented the topic of polygamy in most hilarious fashion. KKPK carries forward the bequest of 1990's, where surreptitiously bigamous and harried husbands were commonly featured in mindless comedies so much so to make it qualify as a sub-genre. KKPK takes it even a few notches higher as the movie's protagonist i.e. Kapil Sharma not only has three wives who are unaware about each other but also has a girlfriend that he intends to marry, making it a double whammy. It is how he manages his three wives who are living in the same building albeit at different floors with the help of his trusted friend played by Varun Sharma and the situations that arise while keeping them away from each other that lend lots of plausible moments to this film making it a delightful watch. Some of the exceptional scenes which deserve a mention are ; The mall scene where all the three wives arrive for shopping making Kapil go jittery and on top of it, his would be father-in-law is also present in the mall which leads to various hilarious moments. The underwear scene where Kapil's underwear falls down in the balcony from the upper floor where he is living with his other wife and the housemaid comes searching for it. This scene has been captured well and will leave you in splits. Also, scenes involving Varun Sharma who always comes up with a scientific theory and Newton's law to save Kapil's skin are a delight to watch. Interestingly, Kapil has stored his wives phone numbers as 'Head Office', 'Branch Office', 'Area Office' and his girlfriend's number as 'Enquiry Office' where as Varun has stored Kapil's number as 'Tension'.   

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                          ::                   The story of the movie has been penned down by Anukalp Goswami where as the screenplay/dialogues of the film have been co-penned by Anukalp Goswami & Dheeraj Sarna. Though the plot has nothing new to offer but the quirky dialogues, punchlines and witty one-liners do the trick in this situational comedy. Like when Kapil's wife says " Bhagwaan Aap Jaisa Pati sab ko de", it does the trick as Kapil already has four women in his life. The film begins with voice-over of Varun Sharma who defines the meaning of marriage and how Kumar Shiv Ram Kishan (Kapil Sharma) got married thrice  Every time Kumar went ahead to lend a helping hand to a girl in distress, he ended up marrying her and that is how he got married to Simran (Simran Kaur Mundi), Juhi (Manjari Phadnis) and Anjali (Sai Lokur). He has been able to successfully hide his other marriages from all three wives but is not able to give them time as they reside in different localities. He discusses the same problem with his close friend and Lawyer Karan (Varun Sharma) who advises him to make his three wives stay in the building albeit on different floors. As per the film, all three of his marriages were Haadsas (Accidental marriages) as Kumar is actually in love with Deepika (Eli Avram) and wants to marry her. Due to the fear of loosing her, Kumar hides the fact about his marriages from Deepika. Meanwhile, all his three wives who are living in the same building become friends with each other. To add to Kumar's woes, his estranged parents (Sharat Saxena & Supriya Pathak) arrive in Mumbai. Things become more murkier when Deepika becomes friends with his other three wives. Things take a hilarious turn when his three wives turn up as witnesses from Bride's side when Kumar is getting married to Deepika in a court. Will his three wives come to know about the reality, Will Kumar and Deepika get married is what forms the rest of the story.       

STARCAST                                                               ::                    Kapil Sharma who has made a smooth transition from Television to Big Screen could not have asked for a better start as he is virtually present in almost every frame of the movie. Comedy is his forte and hence he has carried the weight of the movie entirely on his shoulders. His comic finesse and delivery of punches and one liners in the movie is simply flawless. Kapil is very good in making poker faces when caught in obnoxious situations which the makers have utilized to the hilt in this movie. But, it was a pleasant change to see Kapil doing good in emotional scenes too proving his mettle as an actor. Manjari Phadnis has given an earnest performance as Juhi. Manjari is a fine actress with lot of potential. Simran Kaur Mundi looks the hottest out of all his three wives and has portrayed her character in the most convincing manner. Sai Lokur is apt enough as Anjali and has portrayed her character earnestly who is keen to become a mother and keeps on urging Kapil for the same. Varun Sharma with his comic timing proves that he is here to stay in the industry for a long time. He along with Kapil delivers the best punches in the movie that raise lot of guffaws. Varun has got an innocent looking face which he utilizes to the optimum while delivering witty one liners. Eli Avram not only looks drop dead gorgeous but its a treat to watch her perform in dance numbers. When it comes to acting, she has improved a lot since  her last outing i.e. Mickey Virus. Arbaaz Khan who plays the character of a deaf Don in the movie is a delight to watch. With his poker faced expressions paying no heed to what other are saying, he makes you laugh to the fullest. Sharat Saxena & Supriya Pathak have given earnest performances as estranged parents of Kapil. A special mention of Jamie Lever (Johnny Lever's daughter) for her excellent performance as maid in the movie. Her frequent banters with Simran and understanding of Newton's (Nutan in her language) laws from Varun are a treat to watch. Jamie ably adds to the entertainment quotient of the movie with her delightful performance. Manoj Joshi is simply first rate as Deepika's father in the movie. Manoj is a fine, versatile actor who has essayed the character of a concerned father who keeps on suspecting his would be son-in-law in most enchanting & comical manner.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                     ::              The musical soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by Javed Mohsin, Amjad, Nadeem is quite average with none of the tracks staying with you once you exit the cinema hall. The cinematographer of the movie is Dilshad V A who has done a fine job behind the lens and captured some stunning vistas. The movie has been edited by Hussain Burmawalla who has kept the run-time of movie to 136 minutes. His racy n taut editing is one of the highlights of the movie as the action keeps on unfolding one after other at break neck speed without any hiccups. As directors, Abbas Mustan have proven their forte when it comes to making thrillers but this is their first attempt at making a comedy and they don't disappoint you. They have made an entertaining movie out of an absurd plot full of stupidities by ably infusing it with quirky dialogues and comic punches. Abbas Mustan never let the speed of narrative dip at any point of time and pepper the narrative with constant flow of one liners. They have ably extracted the best from their cast especially Kapil, Varun, Arbaaz Khan & Jamie Lever.  

CONCLUSION                                                             ::               With constant flow of comic punches and witty one liners, Kis Kisko Pyaar Karoon offers dollops of entertainment via tomfoolery acts of Kapil Sharma. Watch the movie by leaving your logical skills behind and you won't be disappointed. 

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Meeruthiya Gangsters :: Movie Review

                                           

Meeruthiya Gangsters written & helmed by Zeishan Quadri takes you on a zany ride laden with bromance, ambition, greed and quirk making it a good amusing watch. Zeishan Quadri who wrote Anurag Kashyap's "Gangs of Wasseypur" has a penchant for detailing which is quite evident in Meeruthiya Gangsters. Zeishan has etched out his characters replete with their characteristics masterfully and the candid portrayal of them by his actors, acts as an icing on the cake. On top of it, Zeishan's choice of real locales to shoot the movie provides a further impetus to the on-screen proceedings. The humor laced quirky dialogues lend some of the most plausible moments to this movie.  

The screenplay of the movie has been penned down by Zeishan Quadri along with Gibran Noorani, Pradeep Atulari and Gunjan Saxena. They have cleverly concocted the screenplay lending the movie certain intonation coupled with tumult. It is the hearty banter exchanged between the principle characters of the movie while planning and executing the plan which adds to the humor quotient of the movie. Apart from being Gangster drama, the script focuses on bromance between its protagonists who share a close knit bond and reunite with each other after drifting apart when sailing through troubled waters. Mind you, even the female characters in this movie are not just mere eye candy and are a part of murkier plotting and scheming. Coming to the storyline, Nikhil (Jaideep Ahlawat), Amit (Aakash Dhaiya), Rahul (Chandarchoor Rai), Sanjeev Foreigner (Jatin Sarna), Sunny (Shadab Kamal), Gagan (Vansh Bhardwaj) are Meerut based college buddies. After the college is over, the six friends start looking for jobs and it is than that they start facing the harsh realities of life. They realize that to pursue their goals in life they need to raise money first. In order to make quick money, they kidnap a businessman and successfully are able to extract ransom money. They use the ransom money to please a private company's officials so that they are able to get coveted jobs in the company but they fail to get the jobs as they don't have MBA degree which is pre requisite for the job. When they come to know that they have been duped, they kidnap the Regional Manager of the company. After this they embark on a random series of robbing and kidnapping. Things are going well for them until Inspector R K Singh (Mukul Dev) arrives on scene. Hereafter, begins a cat and mouse chase game with lots of twists and turns.

Jaideep Ahlawat who proved his mettle as an actor by playing the role of antagonist in 'Commando' is back with a bang. As Nikhil who is the leader of the gang, Jaideep lends an aura of authenticity to his character with his acting prowess.  Jaideep deserves to be seen frequently on-screen playing meatier roles. Aakash Dahiya shows the actor that he can be with his impeccable performance in Meeruthiya Gangsters. Aakash ably delves deep unto the skin of his character and portrays the finer nuances of his character with utmost conviction. Jatin Sarna as Sanjeev Foreigner has given an earnest performance. Watch out for him in the scene where he loses his ear during a gang war. Chandarchoor Rai, Shadab Kamal & Vansh Bhardwaj have given apt performances as per the characters assigned to them. Brijendra Kala is another fine actor who manages to leave a impression irrespective of the duration of his on-screen appearance. His comic timing coupled with his distinctive style of dialogue delivery, makes his act a treat to watch. Same holds true for Sanjay Mishra. Sanjay is one of the finest versatile actors of Indian film fraternity and in this movie he evokes plenty of laughter by playing the character of 'Mama' to the hilt. Mukul Dev has been cast pitch perfect as the tough as nails cop . Mukul Dev is particularly masterful as vengeful, despotic cop who wears his attitude up his sleeve. Mukul has pulled off this role with right amount of intensity & attitude as per the traits of his character.  

Plenty of tonal correctness of the narrative must go to Naren Gedia's brilliant unadorned cinematography, which locks in on the stunning visuals of violence and action without falling into the mistake of making the frames look prettier than the grim situation they are meant to capture. Naren's cinematography uses cluttered garish spaces to create a sense of spiritual emptiness during times of tremendous stress and anxiety. As a debutante director, Zeishan Quadri scores ample of brownie points for crafting his vision eloquently on-screen. As a writer, Zeishan seems to know the rugged hinterland of blood savagery, lawlessness and abuses which he has penned down with finesse. And as a director, Zeishan ably transports us from the civilized society where we live in and takes us to the rugged hinterland where lawlessness still rules the land.  

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Katti Batti :: Movie Review

Katti Batti is Nikhil Advani's take on modern day living-in relationships replete with joys, emotions, bickering , heartache but with a hidden caveat attached to it. The movie had a potentially germane of a story seed but it gets convoluted while projecting it on-screen. It seems the makers got confused regarding the genre of the movie that whether the movie is a rom-com, emotionally rich love story making the plot go haywire. It is truly disheartening to see a fairly descent plot getting convoluted because of too many extra frivolous elements added to it. The movie follows a non linear path of storytelling which further complicates things for the audience. The problem is, the movie tries too many things to make it work which instead of helping the flow of narrative further dampen the spirits. Like there is a South Indian boss of an architect firm who calls his assistants fondly as Rama & Lakshmana with South Indian accent which is supposed to be funny but in actual irritates. Similarly, there's an impromptu drama on Devdas that is shown to Imran's parents to save his skin which completely fails to tickle your funny bones. On top of it, there's a scene where our Hero deliberately pees over a toilet seat worth Rs 5 lakhs in a boutique which makes you cringe in your seats. It is these poorly timed comic interludes and Advani's insistence on contrived humor that make this movie a hotch-potch robbing the movie of plausible moments. It's not that the movie doesn't have its moments, the movie truly catapults in its last few reels but it is too late by than. As a director, Nikhil Advani proves his forte when it comes to crafting emotional scenes in the last fifteen minutes of the movie and he does that with aplomb. I could see a lot of moist eyes around me when the movie came to end making me wonder about the fate of the movie if Nikhil had helmed the complete movie with same amount of passion and intensity which he has showcased in the last few reels. Interestingly, in the movie they have shown a rock Band by the name F.O.S.L.A which stands for Frustrated One Sided Lovers Association. They are of the view that in India " Pyaar ka Dard" sells more than anything else. To corroborate their theory they cite an example that while several remakes have been made of Devdas which was a sob story, there has been no remake of D.D.L.J. which was a refreshing love story. Perhaps, the makers of Katti Batti too echoed the same sentiment as the movie is more of a sob story. The lovers in the movie i.e. Maddy (Imran Khan) and Payal (Kangana Ranaut) are not only eye pleasing, stylish but have also played their respective characters with zest but unfortunately the convoluted storyline lets them down.    

STORY & SCREENPLAY (SPOILERS AHEAD)              ::                   The movie has been penned down by Nikhil Advani along with Anshul Singhal. The writers have followed a non-linear pattern of storytelling while penning down this flick but they have missed out on developing characters in a well etched out manner. Frankly speaking, the story had lot of potential but the writers have failed to induce it with right blend of emotions, humor, drama, pathos. It's quite unfortunate that a germane of an idea has been wasted while penning down the screenplay. The writers have failed to build up the characters and have concentrated more on stand alone scenes. To add to the woes, when an emotional build up has been made a forceful comical insertion is added which acts as a further deterrent. The film begins with Payal (Kangana Ranaut) shooting an MMS of Madhav nick name Maddy (Imran Khan). Cut next, the scene shifts to a hospital where Maddy is admitted after he has accidentally consumed Phenyl thinking it to be beer. After this, the film takes a non-linear pattern with a series of flashbacks thrown in. Flashback begins and we see Maddy falling in love with Payal at her first sighting in college where they are studying. Maddy proposes Payal citing his true love but Payal says she's looking for casual relationship with no commitment. Maddy is able to convince Payal about his true love and they both land up in a living-in relationship in Mumbai. After some time of living-in together, both of them start quarreling with bickering becoming the order of the day. To make things better, Maddy plans a trip to Goa along with Payal but again they have a fight at the airport. After the fight, Maddy becomes so infuriated that he not only cancels the trip but also leaves Payal at the airport saying her that all between them is over. After regaining his temper, Maddy goes back to the airport but is unable to locate her. He tries getting in touch with her but her mobile is switched off and hereafter begins Maddy's unrelenting efforts to search and get in touch with Payal. He comes to know that Payal is in Delhi and is getting married soon. He flies off to Delhi in hope of finding her and wooing her back into his life. Will Maddy be able to locate Payal, Will he be able to stop her from marrying someone else, What is the reason that Payal is avoiding Maddy and Will Maddy and Payal be able to reunite is what forms the rest of the story.     

STARCAST                                                                ::     Mukesh Chhabra (Casting Director) has further cemented his credentials as an ace casting director with this movie as he has ably cast a fine blend of stars along with motley of some real fine actors who have delivered outstanding performances as per their characterizations. Imran Khan has been cast pitch perfect for this role as his chocolaty next door boy looks makes him perfect for this vulnerable, jilted lover character. Imran Khan has shown growth as an actor with every subsequent film of his and this movie gives him ample scope to showcase his acting prowess. The whole story is woven around his character and Imran has given an earnest performance. His sincerity towards portraying this character can be gauged from his performance in the movie. Imran has ably portrayed the role of a jilted lover who relentlessly keeps on chasing his lady love. Kangana Ranaut who seems to be on a roll after her high decibel performances in Queen, TWMR once again lights up the frames with her radiant presence in the movie. It was not an easy job for an actress to portray this character as firstly the character is not well etched out and secondly the character has been entirely told through the perspective of Imran Khan but still Kangana manages to leave a lasting impression proving her mettle as an actress. You see the real sparks of Kangana in the last fifteen minutes of the movie where she casts her spell and keeps you hooked unto the screen with her acting prowess. Kangana makes a lot of eyes go moist with her act in the last few reels of the movie. Vivan Bhatena who impressed with his antagonist act in the last week's release 'Hero', once again gives an earnest performance as ex boyfriend of Payal. Suneel Sinha who has appeared on-screen after a long hiatus has ably portrayed the character of Maddy's father with utmost conviction.   

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                    ::                The musical soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa is amalgamation of happy, sad, quirky & romantic numbers making it a chart buster. 2 songs namely 'Lip to Lip' & 'Ove Janiya' stand out amongst others. The background score of the movie has been composed by Gulraj Singh who has done excellent job out of it as the apt BGM provides a further propulsion to the visual commentary of the movie. The cinematographer of the movie is Tushar Kanti Ray who has done an outstanding job of capturing visuals. Tushar has ably captured the varied, pulsating and intriguing emotions of the characters and documented them in well captured frames without distracting from the story or its telling. A special mention of Subrata Chakraborthy, Amit Ray (Production Designers) and Sheetal Sharma (Costume Designer) for their effective contribution in their respective fields. The movie has been edited by Maahir Zaveri who has packaged the whole action in run-time of 138 minutes. Though, he has done a good job at the editing table but the non-linear pattern of storytelling with frequent oscillations between past & present, give a further jolt to the already convoluted storyline. As a director, Nikhil Advani is once let down by a weak storyline. Nikhil who was Assistant director with Dharma Productions has a zest in crafting emotional scenes in tandem with his mentor, Karan Johar.. And, Nikhil scores full brownie points for the same in the final fifteen minutes of the movie but audience are already fed up with cinematic cliches till those cherish-able moments flutter on-screen in the last few reels. Nikhil Advani proves his forte as a director in some exceptional scenes ;  heart wrenching climax where meaning of true love is defined and reflected on-screen, another scene where frantic Imran keeps on redialing Kangana's phone number despite knowing it's been switched off. 

CONCLUSION                                                                   ::     Despite earnest performances by its lead pair, Katti Batti is a let down because of its hackneyed & convoluted plot. Still if you have a penchant for sob stories than you can give it a try, else wait for it to be telecast on satellite channels.  

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Hero :: Movie Review

Hero helmed by Nikhil Advani which is a remake of Subhash Ghai's cult classic Hero (1983) has all the quintessential elements that a typical masala movie needs ; high octane action, good music, mesmeric visuals, slick execution but the convoluted plot doesn't allow them to flourish. It was 1983, when Subhash Ghai wrote and directed Hero which was lapped up by the audience at that time but now we are sitting in 2015. Taste of audience has changed and I don't understand why did the makers opt to remake the same storyline that was made in 1983. Though, the writers have tweaked the screenplay as per today's times yet the basic premise is the same. The only daughter of I.G. Police falling in love with a local goon who has kidnapped her and defying all odds to unite with him. What worked in favor of Hero (1983) was its defined story-line ably backed up by well etched out characters that were portrayed eloquently on-screen by veteran actors. Who can forget the nagging Bhua played by Bindu, Amrish Puri as dreadful Pasha, Shakti Kapoor as scheming Jimmy and above all Sanjeev Kumar who was seen in various get ups in the original cult classic. It was more of a character driven movie who lent ample plausible moments to the film which seem to be missing from the remake. Hero (2015) is more focused around its main protagonists especially the histrionics of its male lead i.e. Sooraj Pancholi who leaves no stone upturned to flex his muscles and showcase his skills but Alias! he is led down by a weak and non cohesive screenplay. The problem with Hero is that things happen at a very fast pace with various characters appearing from nowhere in a flutter affecting the continuity of the film. One moment you see Sooraj doing a headstand on nails platform and the next moment he arrives on a bulldozer and kicks the butts of Chetan Hansraj. Athiya Shetty visits a discotheque with friends and after she is insisted on going back by a friend, She is not only happy enough seeing him getting bashed by Sooraj but also thanks him and gets be-smitten by him. Similarly, in second half you see Vivan Bhatena doing kick-ass act with some people he owes money with blood littered on his shirt and the very next moment you see him walking away with Anita Hassanandani ( who is IG's daughter-in-law) after putting his blazer on. It is these moments that rob the movie of its plausible charm which was very much there in Hero (1983). It is disheartening to see that Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty who have given earnest performances are let down by a weak screenplay. Overall, Hero might appeal to a certain section of audience who love to watch typical commercial potboilers laden with all masala ingredients.   

STORY & SCREENPLAY (SPOILERS AHEAD)            ::                      The credit for writing the story has been given to Subhash Ghai who wrote the original Hero (1983) where as the screenplay of the movie has been penned down by Nikhil Advani along with Umesh Bist. Nikhil & Umesh have fine toned and spruced up the screenplay in accordance with today's times but the uneven screenplay & shoddily written characters are a major drawback of the movie. The film begins in Mumbai where Sooraj (Sooraj Pancholi) is doing his workout and cut next he arrives on a bulldozer to rescue his friends who have been kidnapped by Changezi (Chetan Hansraj). After bashing up Changezi and his henchmen, Sooraj along with his friends visits a club where he sights Radha (Athiya Shetty) and here too he bashes up Radha's boyfriend who's trying to be a pile on. Radha is daughter of I.G. Police, Mathur (Tigmanshu Dhulia) who is up against Pasha (Aditya Pancholi). Pasha is behind the bars for plotting the murder of a journalist which he is denying but Mathur says he is in possession of enough evidence to nail him. Sooraj has been bought up by Pasha and he affectionately calls him Baba. Sensing fear, Pasha calls Sooraj and tells him to kidnap Radha. Sooraj along with his friends pose as Policemen and kidnap Radha by telling her that they are taking her to a safe place as per orders given by her father. Soon, chemistry develops between Radha & Sooraj with both falling in love with each other. After some time, Radha comes to know about real identity of Sooraj who tells her to forget him saying I.G. ki beti ek Gunde se kaise pyaar kar sakti hai. But, Radha is defiant and convinces Sooraj to surrender and start a new life. Sooraj is imprisoned for two years and Radha's father is dead against the love of his daughter for Sooraj. Radha is helped by her brother (Sharad Kelkar) who tells her to pretend having a fake relationship with one of his old schoolmates RanVijay (Vivan Bhatena). But RanVijay who owes several crores to Pasha turns up at their home with evil intentions but is instantly liked by Radha's parents. Will RanVijay be able to succeed in his evil intentions, Will reformed Sooraj be able to win over Radha's father, Will I.G. Mathur be able to nail Pasha & Will Sooraj & Radha get married is what forms the rest of the story. 

STARCAST                                                            ::            Mukesh Chhabra (Casting Director) has once again proven his mettle as Hero is more of a character driven film and all the actors chosen by Mukesh have literally lived their part. As debutantes, both Sooraj Pancholi and Athiya Shetty have managed to impress in their first outing. Sooraj has worked really hard on building his physique and he gets ample chance to flex his muscles in the movie. He has a great screen presence which has been utilized to the optimum in this movie. He has come out really well in action sequences with his well chiseled body. As a first timer, Sooraj manages to leave a impression with his earnest act in the movie. He has ably portrayed the character of a hooligan with a heart of gold in enthralling manner.  Athiya Shetty has portrayed the character of carefree and chirpy Radha with utmost conviction. Athiya seems to have worked really hard on essaying her character in the movie which is evident from her performance in the movie. Athiya looks so confident when facing the camera that it's hard to imagine that this is her first outing as an actress. Tigmanshu Dhulia plays his part in such a natural and effortless manner that it is hard to distinguish him from his character. He stands his ground firmly both as a tough cop as well as a worrying father. Sharad Kelkar shows the actor that he can be with his impeccable performance in the movie. Sharad has played his character with effortless ease. Aditya Pancholi shines as the villainous 'Pasha' in the movie. Vivan Bhatena throws a surprise with his wicked act in the movie. Though, he appears for a short duration in the second half but he has literally nailed his character with his convincing portrayal.  

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                           ::          The musical soundtrack of the movie composed by Amaal Mallik, Jassi Katyal, Meet Bros Anjjan & Sachin Jigar has everything in it to make it a chartbuster album with the title track " Main Hoon Hero Tera" leading from the front. The background music of the film has been composed by Sandeep Shirodkar who has done an excellent job. Sandeep's background score is a huge strength to the movie as it underscores every scene without hammering in the situations. The cinematographer of the movie is Tushar Kanti Ray who has done outstanding job behind the lens. The cinematography by Tushar is seamless and excellent, not once invading the space of characters at work in the background. Tushar's cinematography is brilliant, bringing out the vision of Nikhil Advani eloquently on-screen through well captured vistas. A special mention of Amit Ray, Subrata Chakraborty (Production Designers) and Ravi Verma, Dave Judge (Action Directors) for their effective contribution in their respective fields. The movie has been edited by Ritesh Soni who has kept the run-time of the movie to 131  minutes.  As a director, Nikhil Advani had a tough job at hands as it was never going to be easy to helm an entertaining remake of a cult classic film as the original one will always serve as a hard benchmark. So, the comparisons and expectations are always going to be high with respect to the original film. Nikhil Advani has ably extracted the best from his cast & crew and his execution of the movie is slick but is hampered by the convoluted storyline, hackneyed screenplay and uneven proceedings.

CONCLUSION                                                            ::                      Though, not in the league of original cult classic yet Hero makes for a descent one time watch for those who like to watch typical mainstream masala movies replete with good music, high octane action, mesmeric visuals and good performances by its starcast. 

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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Welcome Back :: Movie Review

Welcome Back which is the sequel of Welcome (2007) helmed by Anees Bazmee begins from where the prequel ended & takes you on a zany, outlandish, crazy, outrageous ride replete with extravagance and stellar starcast but Alias! it works in parts. Anees Bazmee is a name to reckon with when it comes to filming movies that are laugh riot which you can enjoy, relish provided you leave your brains out while entering the theater to watch his flicks. The only logic required to enjoy his films is not to let your logical senses prevail while watching his movies because logic and sense have no place in his movies. His mantra is simple ; leave your brains at home, throw your worries out of the window and simply go with the flow of the movie. Welcome back is a step forward in that direction but unfortunately for the makers the movie works in parts. Welcome back is much more ambitious than Bazmee's earlier flicks as director has concentrated lot on sets, grandeur, costumes and extravaganza. But,all this works if you have a cohesive script with well etched out characters which seem to be missing from this movie. What works in favor of the movie are stellar acts portrayed by Majnu Bhai (Anil Kapoor) & Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) ably supported by Dr Ghunghroo (Paresh Rawal). It is these three main characters from the prequel that infuse some life into this crazy film by enacting their characters earnestly and mouthing some really funny one liners. Like Nana Patekar describes Paresh Rawal's family by saying ; Dr Ghunghroo ka khandaan itna shareef hai ki inke ghar ki makhiyaan bhi sar pe dupatta le ke nikalti hain. Or when Anil says to Nana that ; Ye to main aapki vajah se kaayde mein hoon, nahin to aaj tak mere apne do teen Al Qaida hote. The scene where Anil & Nana carry John to burry him in the graveyard has come out very well where to overcome their fear they start playing antaakshari. But, the overstretched climax of the movie is a big let down. Overall, Welcome back is definitely not in the league of its prequel Welcome and will be savored only by those who like to watch no-brainers leaving their logical skills behind.      

STORY & SCREENPLAY (SPOILERS AHEAD)          ::                          The story of the movie has been penned down by Rajiv Kaul, Anees Bazmee where as screenplay of the movie has been written by Rajan Agarwal, Rajiv Kaul, Praful Parekh along with Anees Bazmee.The film begins in Dubai where Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar) & Majnu (Anil Kapoor) are now living a legitimate life as businessmen leaving their dubious past behind and are still bachelors. Cut next, two con women Babita (Ankita Shrivastava) & her mother Poonam (Dimple Kapadia) enter their lives posing as Princess Chandani and Maharani of Nazafgarh. Soon, both Uday & Majnu fall in love with Chandani and begin showering gifts to woo her. Un aware about their past, Majnu & Uday arrange a matrimony meet with Princess and Maharani. At the same time, Uday's father arrives and tells them about Uday's sister Ranjana (Shruti Haasan) and purports them with the responsibility of her marriage. Meanwhile, Dr Ghunghroo (Paresh Rawal) comes to know that he has a step son Ajju (John Abraham) who is living in Mumbai. Uday & Majnu fix the marriage of their sister with Ajju, unaware of the fact that Ajju is actually a goon and known as Ajju Bhai in Mumbai. After a few misunderstandings, Ranjana & Ajju fall in love with each other. Ranjana takes Ajju to Dubai to make him meet her brothers posing as Ajay. On the day of engagement, Majnu comes to know about the reality of Ajju and calls off the engagement. Ajju confronts them and challenges them that he will marry Ranjana at any cost. To prevent Ranjana from marrying Ajju, Uday & Majnu seek help from a dreaded blind don Wanted Bhai (Naseeruddin Shah). But, hell breaks loose when they come to know that Wanted Bhai's only son (Shiney Ahuja) who is a drug addict is also madly in love with Ranjana. Will Ajju be able to marry Ranjana, What will happen to ulterior motives of Babita & Poonam, Will Uday & Majnu still remain bachelors, Will Wanted Bhai force Uday & Majnu to marry their sister to his son is what forms the rest of the story.    

STARCAST                                                                 ::        Kudos to Shahid Hasan (Casting Director) for assembling appropriate stars as well as ensemble starcast for the movie as per their characterizations as the formidable starcast of this movie gives a major impetus to the on-screen proceedings. Each & every actor has portrayed his/her part with effortless ease but the actors who emerge as clear winners in this star studded affair are Nana Patekar & Anil Kapoor. Nana Patekar who has a penchant for essaying hard hitting, intense characters portrays a role which is in stark contrast to that continuing from where he left in Welcome. It is a real treat to watch him display his funnier side with perfect comic timing. Anil Kapoor is one of the most accomplished actors of Indian film fraternity who has time and again proved his versatility by portraying diverse characters. But, his act as Majnu Bhai is simply.....Jhakaas. His body language coupled with his facial expressions are a treat to watch in this movie. Anil's camaraderie with Nana Patekar has come out as good as icing on the cake and has to be seen to be believed. John Abraham has turned out to be the surprise element in this movie by imbibing and portraying the finer nuances of a typical Mumbai Tapori Bhai. It's heartening to see him unleash his wittier side on-screen leaving his macho image behind. And, it's not that he doesn't get a chance to flex his muscles in the movie, he does that with aplomb and goes shirtless like Salman Khan. Naseeruddin Shah is one the finest actors we have today and it's disheartening watching him him portray such shoddily written characters. Shah tries his level best to put some life into the lifeless character that he plays in the movie. Paresh Rawal is simply first rate in the movie and continues from where he left in Welcome. Paresh is such an effortless actor who manages to bring smiles on your faces with his on-screen antics in the movie. Shiney Ahuja who has appeared on-screen after a long hiatus makes his presence felt in the movie by portraying his character with utmost conviction. Shruti Haasan has nailed her character of Ranjana to utmost perfection proving her mettle as an actress. It's not easy to hold your ground admist so many acting stalwarts but she has stood her ground firmly. Dimple Kapadia has come up with a laudable performance as the con artist in the movie. She looks really graceful while posing as the Maharani.      

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                 ::                 The musical soundtrack of the movie that has been composed by a battery of composers namely Anu Malik, Meet Bros. Anjjan,  Siddhant Madhav, Mika Singh, Music Mg... & Abhishek Ray is primarily a collateral mix of racy and peppy tracks. The background score composed by Aadesh Shrivastava is loud, jarring and is a big let down. You begin to hear sounds of Ajju Bhai...Ajju Bhai whenever John Abraham appears on-screen for a fight sequence which sounds very irritating. The cinematographer of the movie is Kabir Lal who has done a swell job of capturing visuals and definitely deserves all the praise for the same. Kabir definitely knows, recognizes, acknowledges and records beauty in every form right from picturesque locales of UAE to sizzling beauty of starlets of the movie. Kabir Lal's cinematography has definitely given the movie a grandiose look. A special mention of Sailesh Mahadik (Production Designer) and Abbas Ali Moghul (Action Coordinator) for their effective contributions in their respective fields. The movie has been edited by Steven H Bernard who has kept the run-time of the movie to 153 minutes. Steven's editing is one of the highlights of the movie as it is quite racy, taut giving you no time to ponder. As a director, Anees Bazmee knows his comic movies tropes well, and how to hit them to maximize their impact which he has proved in his earlier outings. It's not a mean task to helm plethora of actors and justify their characters but Anees has done the same with elan. It's just that he has been let down by the weak script this time in Welcome Back. You find traces of his cinematic excellence while making a comic flick but Alias! they are too few and too far.            

CONCLUSION                                                            ::             Welcome Back can turn out to be delightful fare for those who relish silly shenanigans being portrayed on-screen without putting their thinking caps on leaving their logical skills back home.

ROHIT SHARMA. 

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