HAPPY NEW YEAR :: MOVIE REVIEW

 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR is a purely masala flick that has everything going in its favor business wise and if you can digest Farah Khan's obsession for her trademark kitsch of  song and dance, obsession for SRK, then this one's for you. Director Farah Khan maybe just four movies old, but her trademark Bollywood kitsch is painfully predictable and requires an appetite for flamboyance. Low on logic, and high on opulence, her movies flourish on song and dance, and rides purely on Shah Rukh Khan’s shoulders, or might we add abs! Farah’s frames are about abundance. An abundance of skin show, might we add. We all know Farah Khan loves her escapist entertainers and, literally, her own ones as well. She packs her scenes with spot-the-reference cues, even some self-referencing ones, generously. A vault is named after the retro heist film Shaalimar, the dancer heroine is Mohini (because you know, Tezaab), there’s the Chak De sattar-minute speech rehashed, the Amitabh Bachchan Mohabbatien line (Parampara, Pratishta, Anushasan), the ‘Picture abhi baki hai mere dost’ line from Om Shanti Om. So what happens when Bollywood tries its hand at heist? Usually, the result is Don 2 or Dhoom 2 or 3 — a wannabe Hollywood-looking film with car chases shot in foreign locations minus the logic and plausibility. Full credit to Farah Khan for not going there and for choosing to embrace the genre with all that’s truly Bollywood — song, dance and drama. So while the template is decidedly heist, the treatment is completely Bollywood. Each character is introduced one by one with their skill sets and quirks — some of these quirks and eccentricities are dumb and contrived in a trying-hard-to-be-funny way. Nandu (Abhishek Bachchan) loves to drink and throw up. Jagmohan (Sonu Sood) is hard of hearing and gets worked up if anyone says anything about his mother (this joke is used purely to orchestrate a nine-month-long comic fight sequence that is of no consequence to the film). And Tammy (Boman) gets random convulsions for 30 seconds exactly and dresses like he’s seven years old. Imagine you are out with an old friend who isn’t all that funny but you laugh anyway because you know he’s a good guy and also because you have become used to his sense of humour. Watching Happy New Year feels exactly like that. It requires you to wear your bar mood and after that, it’s not such a bad night.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                              ::           The story of the movie has been penned down by the trio of Farah Khan, Mayur Puri & Althea Delmas Kaushal who had their work cut out substantially because when you have a reigning superstar, a spectacular ensemble cast and a canvas as vivid as your imagination, it’s indeed clever thinking to adapt the most successful plot of Bollywood and turn it into a colorful visual spectacle. Director Farah Khan does just that in one of the most awaited films of the year, and in style! It’s the tried-and-tested (and also seldom gone wrong) idea – the lead protagonist putting together a team of underdogs to achieve the unthinkable. Happy New Year is too self-aware for its own good but thankfully, it packs in some laughs with moments of irreverence and political incorrectness. The sporting Anurag Kashyap-Vishal Dadlani cameo, or the scene where the team hacks into the results to eliminate a talented children’s team called Angels, Abhishek Bachchan’s snake dance (which is likely to go viral in nightclubs) or racist digs at the Korean team. The film starts off with a world dance championship finale, wherein 'Team India' goes missing. Team India is led by the 'Boston University topper' Chandramohan Manohar aka Charlie (Shah Rukh Khan), whose 'entry' is shown in a illegal kick boxing match, wherein SRK mouths the rehash of all his famous one liner dialogues from his previous movies. Charlie is out on a mission to take revenge for his father, Manohar (Anupam Kher), who is conned by the evil mind Charan Grover (Jackie Shroff) and imprisoned for 12 years. Charlie's plan is to steal Rs. 300 crore worth diamonds that are under Charan's security in Dubai. His partners in crime are: A partially deaf Jagmohan Prasad aka Jaggu aka Jag (Sonu Sood) who is an ex-army bomb squad member, a self confessed Parsi 'stud' Tammy Irani (Boman Irani) who is an expert at opening sophisticated lockers and who carries a mini supermarket in his bag, a young hacker Rohan Singh (Vivaan Shah) who is a 'loser in real world, Nandu Bhide (Abhishek Bachchan) whose 'USP' is that he can puke anytime, anywhere, and then there's Mohini (Deepika Padukone), who is a bar dancer with a dream of opening a dance school for young girls. Mohini has a huge weakness for English speaking people! She is someone who lives by the saying 'Haaro toh haaro, Ijjat mat utaaro', which means for her 'ijjat' is everything. The plan is to not just steal expensive diamonds from Charan, but also to restore the lost glory of Charlie's innocent father, by putting Charan in jail. To execute this plan however, the team needs to participate in the 'World Dance Championship' which takes place in the Atlantis hotel, exactly where Charan will be keep the diamonds for a one day display in Dubai. Charlie and his team enroll in this competition and despite all the boys being non-dancers, they use their antics to survive amongst the best dancers in the world. True to the saying 'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going', Charlie and his team go all out to successfully execute the plan, even if that means to win the dance championship, despite being non-dancers. Will Charlie and his 'Team India' be able to steal the diamonds from Charan's sophisticated locker, will they be able to win the dance championship despite being non-dancers and will Charlie ever be able to restore the lost glory of his father forms the rest of the story.

 

STARCAST                                                    ::                             Full marks must be given to the casting director for choosing the right cast. In this movie,  Shah Rukh has offered the audience abs of steel that have quite clearly been contoured with eye-shadow or bronzer. Shah Rukh Khan has worked hard on his body for this film and he does a fine job of flaunting it. Extremely full of energy most of the times, he manages to  entertain you in all his scenes : be it comedy, fight or romance.  Deepika plays a dancer who teaches the men how to move so they can take part in the competition and has a Chennai Express hangover with a suspiciously Tamilian lilt to her accent. She has played her quirky character to perfection. Sonu Sood, as the half-deaf meat head with a body that has the ladies swooning, is brilliant. Vivaan Shah is perfect as the nerdy teen hacker; Mark Zuckerberg watch out – if The Social Network was made in Bollywood Vivaan would definitely win the part, replete with the unpopularity with the ladies. Boman Irani, who plays a chubby master of breaking into safes, gave us some of the best laugh-out-loud moments of the movie with a quirky Parsi accent, sorry fits of epilepsy and a bevy of ageing Parsi gals vying to wed him post his dance win.  The support system of the movie is a zany performance by Abhishek Bachchan. Simply said, he seems to have had the maximum fun making this film. He’s let loose and his character revels at grossing you out and making you chuckle with consummate ease.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                         ::                        The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Vishal - Dadlani which is already a chartbuster. Since, its a dance show based movie, music plays a vital role in carrying the movie forward and the duo has been successful in charting a good album. The background music by John Stewart is apt enough and enhances the level of on-screen proceedings in the right way. The cinematographer of the movie is Manush Nandan who has done an excellent job behind the camera. He has captured both the lavish grandeur of the dance sets as well as the outdoor locales of Dubai with equal finesse. Farah Khan and Geeta Kapoor have choreographed the songs beautifully especially the extravagant dance numbers. Shashank Tere who is the production designer also deserves a special mention as the frames looks visually stunning and opulent. The movie has been edited by Anand Subaya & Tushar Parekh who have kept the run-time of the movie to 179 minutes. They deserve a pat on their back for their crisp editing as they have managed to keep the flow of narrative at an even pace all through the movie. Farah Khan, who is the co-writer as well as the director of the movie has dished out a typical masala fare this time. Its not easy to catch hold of audience's interest for as long as close to three hours but somehow she has managed that this time. Reason being, she has stuck to the basic formula plot of a commercial potboiler and has not even slightly tried to offer something new. She has made a purely no-brainer masala movie which contains no vulgarity, preachiness but just pure pop corn entertainment.       

 

CONCLUSION                                                  ::        It all depends which kind of movies you like, If you like to have fun and you don’t mind entertainment over cerebral arguments, Farah Khan’s Happy New Year is worth your time. Happy New Year could steal your heart if you don’t use your head. When you wake up the next morning, you probably won’t remember much. Except that you laughed out loud a few times for some strange reason. 

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

Khoobsurat :: Movie Review

Khoobsurat is a contemporary take on a (fairy)tale as old as time – girl meets boy, girl thinks he’s a frog and boy thinks she’s insufferable, girl kisses (engaged!) frog and turns him into the prince of her dreams. Khoobsurat with its share of candy floss romance with just the right tadka of royalty has a lot going for it. The best part about the movie is that it portrays the tale in a simple way without making things look exaggerated and stays true to its genre. Even though, over the top Milli (Sonam Kapoor) widely touted as royal misfit in the promos, runs the danger of turning loud, but with fair degree of directorial restraint and whole lot of effortless effort on Sonam's part, this Milli manages to be an aafat alright, but a delightful one. Disney's Khoobsurat takes you in to the lives and luxuries of Rajasthani princely states. Through the story of a quintessential Delhi girl's tryst with a prince and his family, you too can roam the vast expanses of pure luxury. Experience the old world charm of an India mostly reserved for tourist brochures. And you can soak in all the opulence with a charming young adult romance. Yes, the film is predictable, and recycles well known rom com and fairytale tropes, but the packaging is in such shiny and colorful paper that one is enthusiastic to unwrap it and see what lies in store. The result is a film that is surprisingly layered and feel-good in every sense of the word.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                       ::                       The screenplay for the original story that was written by D.N.Mukerjee has been penned down by Indira Bisht who has given it a new premise but has ably maintained the essence of the cult. The new Khoobsurat is  like a rainbow puked all over the old Khubsoorat on its Disneyland vacation in Rajasthan. If old Khubsoorat was about the clash of lifestyles between two families, the new Khoobsurat is more about the young couple’s love story. The most lovable part of the movie is its well etched characters. Behind their happy-hello-how-are-you smiles, both Mili and Vikram whisper through their teeth and greet each other with tags like, “khadoos” and “aafat.” The chemistry between the lead pair is so adorable that you will find yourself going ‘aww’ at their romance (or even feel your heart turn gooey. The film starts off with the introduction of a professional physiotherapist Mili Chakravarthy (Sonam Kapoor) who is in charge of treating the players of IPL's Kolkata Knight Riders' team, an 'achievement' that qualifies to get her a suitable match, according to her typical Punjabi mother Manju Chakravarthy (Kirron Kher). Due to the inability of Mili's colleague to go to the royal house, Mili fills in for him to treat the King of the palace. Right from the word go, the very vocally outspoken Mili finds herself to be a 'royal misfit' in the royal palace of Sambhalgarh, which is 'manned' by the lady of the house, Queen Nirmala Devi Rathore (Ratna Pathak Shah). Nirmala's life revolves around her family members which consists of her husband Shekhar Rathore (Aamir Raza Hussain), son Vikram Rathore (Fawad Khan), and daughter Divya. In due course of treating Shekhar, Mili realizes that there's more than what meets the eye. That's when she changes her course of treatment by befriending the King and making his life livelier and fun. Despite the fact that Nirmala and Vikram do not like Mili due to her brash behavior, they gradually come to terms with her after seeing Shekhar respond very positively to her treatments. Despite Vikram being engaged to a royal and rich Kiara (Aditi Rao Hydari), he starts liking Mili, even though being aware that there is nothing similar in them! By now, Mili also starts nurturing similar feelings for him, but refrains from confessing as she learns about Vikram's engagement with Kiara. Will Vikram choose Mili over Kiara as his life partner and does Mili succeed in treating Shekhar? And above all, will Mili manage to melt Nirmala Devi's toughened heart is what forms the rest of the film's story.

STARCAST                                                                ::                            Full marks must be given to the casting director i.e. Nalini Rathnam as she has chosen the the right starcast who have made the characters look believable which is a big strength of the movie. We all agree that Sonam Kapoor is no Rekha but in this modern day version of Khoobsurat she has played the character of Milli with aplomb and virtually wins you over. She has an undeniable star presence and a gorgeous, infectious smile and that works well for her in the film. She gets to play an author backed role here and has completely justified her character by playing it to perfection. Coming to Fawad, the debutante actor knows his craft and given the space he is allowed in a women-centric film, he has shone brightly. He’s bang on as the emotionally-unavailable, brooding prince. He’s a man of few words and his acting is as sharp as his tailored suits. There’s no over-the-top melodrama and we buy into his royal, ruthless act. I have to add that apart from the lead actors Khoobsurat wouldn’t have been half as entertaining had it not been for Ratna Pathak Shah and Kirron Kher. As the two polar opposite mommies, these veterans have not so surprisingly given solid performances. Kirron Kher might have played the loud mouthed Punjabi Mom for the umpteenth time but she still manages to raise lotta guffaws with her witty dialogues and bring smile to your face. Ratna Pathak Shah looks every inch the strict, commanding and disciplined Queen of the royal Rathore family. Aamir Raza Hussain's performance as the wheel chair ridden King is impeccable and how i wish we could have seen more of him in the movie.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                       ::                                        The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Sneha Khanwalkar which is a virtual treat for the music lovers. She has put in a coterie of numbers of all genres which include peppy numbers like Engine Ki Seeti, Maa Ka Phone as well as soulful songs like Naina and Preet. The cinematographer of the movie is Tushar Kanti Ray 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. He has captured both the outdoor locales as well as inner shots with elan. Two more persons who deserve a special mention are Shruti Gupte for her Production Design & Prajakta Ghag for her art direction as they have done their bit with utmost finesse. The movie has been edited by Bakul Matiyani, who although has done a good job but i feel it could have been better. The run-time of the movie is 130 minutes and slightly more crisp editing would have made it more interesting.  Director Shashanka Ghosh  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 more than two hours which Shashanka has not only done well but also scored Brownie points for the same. 

CONCLUSION                                                      ::                                      Despite it’s caricatures for characters, it's clichés and predictable plot, the film is cheeky, relatable in its relationship drama and has a  easy, breezy, gorgeous and inoffensive feel attached to it.. Watch it once. It won’t hurt.

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

Daawat E Ishq :: Movie Review

Daawat E Ishq is like that cake which looks real sumptuous garnished with walnut & other toppings but when you savor it, it turns out to be half baked, making you relish only the toppings. Donning a chef’s hat, the director steps into his kitchen of film making and uses the available ingredients to make out a sumptuous dish and invites us to a fiesta called Daawat-e-Ishq which unfortunately pampers your taste buds only in parts. But notwithstanding its share of false garnishing, Daawat-e-Ishq, written and directed by Habib Faisal, is not a soulless film. In fact, it has its heart in the right place. Despite being written and directed by Faisal, who wrote that warm cupcake of a film Do Dooni Char, Daawat-e-Ishq tries to root itself in a similar, realistic universe of realism, but with a few Bollywood accents. As a result, if you've managed to sit through till the interval, you know exactly what's going to happen in the end. The film kicks off in the manner of a social drama, turns into a mild crime caper, then takes on the dimensions of a culture clash comedy, and finally winds up like a love story with a happy ending.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                     ::          The story has been penned down by Habib Faisal & Jyoti Kapoor who have written a screenplay which is a light-hearted take weaved around the consistent demand of dowry from the groom’s side in India, and how an educated girl counters it with her wickedly twisted understanding of Section 498 A. Loosely, and without giving the plot away, dowry is, in many ways the central thrust of the film. Good food and youthful amour do work well in tandem, but the principal trouble with Daawat-e-Ishq is that allows the two ingredients to recede to the background all too often in pursuit of larger issues of life. It moves the plot and its ensuing romance, neatly tying the story together at the end. As per the storyline,  Gulrez Qadir (Parineeti Chopra) is a feisty, smart college-going girl in Hyderabad. Her father, played by Anupam Kher, is a senior clerk in the high court. Gulrez topped her batch in class XII exams, does a part time job in a shoe shop and is also studying in college. Her father, however, wants her to get married as soon as possible and lines up several prospective grooms for her. Not only are these men caricaturish, silly and undeserving, they also demand steep dowry for marrying Gulrez, aka Gullu. Fed up of these obviously evil people, Gullu hatches a plan to con a rich guy who demands a hefty dowry. She'll have a fake nikah with him, then frame him in a dowry harassment case, wrench a lot of money out of the guy's family in an out-of-court settlement and finally escape to New York to study fashion designing. She manages to rope her father in to help her achieve her target. They decide to target the hapless gents of Lucknow who have signed up to matrimonial websites. And then Gullu meets Tariq aka Taru (Aditya Roy Kapur). His family owns the oldest kebab place in Lucknow, which is the daawat part of the title. Gullu, then in the disguise of Sania from Dubai, chooses Tariq as the target of her con because he's the richest of all the prospective grooms she's encountered.

 

STARCAST                                                            ::             The performances of the star-cast is the major highlight of the movie for which due credit must be given to the casting director, Shanoo Sharma, as she has chosen the apt actors as per their characters.  It's never been very difficult to sit through a film that has Parineeti Chopra in it. There is something intensely endearing about her. That's perhaps because she makes the ordinary seem engaging, the odd seem cute. and doesn't let her audience's attention stray from her when she is onscreen. She has portrayed the character of Gulrez to perfection. Although, Aditya Roy Kapoor gets considerably less screen space but he manages to bowl you over with sincerity of his performance and doesn't let  audience's attention stray from him when he is onscreen. Anupam Kher has given an impeccable performance as Parineeti's father who has lived an honest life by never taking a bribe but due to excessive dowry demands helps Parineeti in playing a con game. Another actor who makes his debut on big screen is Karan Wahi who looks cute but gets minimal screen space.

 TECHNICAL FINESSE                                         ::                        The film’s music has already made its place in the chartbuster. Music composers Sajid-Wajid with their commercial sensibilities have poured in the right amount of drama in the songs. The qawwali number ‘Daawat-e Ishq’ is pick of the lot. The cinematography by Himman Dhamija is well-executed, with liberal shots of kebabs and jalebis, enough to make you squirm in hunger. Like the plot, the camera is more skilfully used for scenes in Hyderabad than in Lucknow. However, most of the scenes are indoors and thus it is only during the songs that you actually get to see the beautiful city and enjoy the cinematography to the core. The movie has been edited by Meghna Manchanda Sen who has done a good job and kept the run-time to crisp 123 minutes. She has ensured that the narrative flows at an even pace with not many highs or lows. Habib Faisal as a director has ably extracted the best of performances from his actors. He has made a movie which is not only about celebration of  food, love, relationships but also depicts the evils of dowry system prevalent in society.

CONCLUSION                                                    ::                      Daawat-e-Ishq may not be a perfect film but it's an adorable love story and the two young actors make ita good one time watch.

 

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

     

Goreyan Nu Daffa Karo :: Movie Review

             

 GOREYAN NU DAFFA KARO is a lavishly mounted pleasing Punjabi movie by Pankaj Batra which has the stamp of entertainment marked on each n every frame of it and has definitely elevated the stature of Punjabi cinema.  Although, the genre of the movie is comedy but it is in stark contrast to those mindless comedies that have hit Punjabi screens in the past and were out rightly rejected by the audience. Most of the makers proclaim their movie to be "Hatke" which though turns out to be the same run of the mill stuff but this movie has a real pleasing & fresh feel attached to it. It has a proper well written script with some lovable characters being a part of it and Kudos to Pankaj Batra who has made full use of it and portrayed the story in the most effective manner. Unlike his last offering "Naughty Jatts" which relied more on gags, comic punches this one relies on humor which is not forced but comes through various situations in the movie. This is not a slapstick comedy but it still manages to raise lotta guffaws and brings smile to your face umpteen times.  The movie has portrayed a fine tuned amalgamation of Desi & Western culture in a humorous way which has never been portrayed on Punjabi Celluloid before.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                                  ::                            The story of GNDF has been penned down by Amberdeep Singh who deserves accolades for his writing skills. He has picked up a  different subject and concocted a storyline which is invigorating and exhilarating especially for Punjabi Cinema. He has worked hard on baking his characters which is one of the prime reasons of the continuous flow of humor in the movie. The dialogues of the movie have also been written by Amberdeep Singh & he deserves a pat on the back for his dialogue writing skills also as the dialogues of the movie neither go over the top nor hit below the belt. The story begins from a village in Punjab whose headman is Najjar Singh (YogRaj Singh) who hates White people like anything. He has a solid reason for doing so as his father was killed by a blow from a British during pre partition days. But, as luck would have it his elder grandson Roop (Aman Khatkar) studying in Canada falls for a white girl there and decides to marry her. The only person who can help in getting married by convincing grandfather is his bother Kala (Amrinder Gill). Kala thinks of a plan and by firing a volley of lies finally convinces Najjar Singh that by bringing a white girl into their household they would be able to get even with whites. So, the father of the bride is invited to the village and with him comes Punjabi gori Alisha (Amrit Maghera) who captures the heart of Kala. Now, whether Kala will be able to get his brother married to a white girl & win over the love of  Alisha or his lies will be unearthed form the rest of the plot.   

STARCAST                                                                            ::                 Amrinder Gill as Kala is just awesome. He has portrayed the character to perfection and undoubtedly this is his best performance so far. He has not only looked cute which he is referred to by heroine of the movie but has worked immensely on his expressions & body language. Yograj Singh looks every inch the village headman that he portrays on-screen and has given a dynamic performance. The actor who manages to raise maximum number of guffaws with his impeccable comic timing is Binnu Dhillon. Be it the automatic door scene or his letter orating scene, he manages to keep you in splits whenever he appears on-screen which is aplenty. Though, both Aman Khatkar & Amrit Maghera are watchable but they need to work hard on their acting skills. But is the ensemble cast of Sardar Sohi, Karamjit Anmol & Rana Ranbir who have portrayed their comic characters to perfection and add up to the humor quotient of the movie. 

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                        ::           The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Jatinder Shah who has cut a chart buster album with some fine songs in it. Laazmi Dil Da Kho Jana by Amrinder Gill,  Pyar Tere Da Assar by Prabh Gill  and even the title track Goreyan nu daffa karo are the best picks. The man behind the lens and responsible for the visual enhancement of the movie is, cinematographer, Vineet Malhotra who has done an excellent job. Be it the rural beauty of Punjab or the Skyline towers of Canada, Vineet has captured them in the frames with elan. The movie has been edited by Parveen Kathikuloth who has done a crisp and taut job. The movie maintains a stable pace and manages to catch hold of your interest all through its runtime. As a director, Pankaj Batra has affirmed that he is not only master of his craft but has also been able to judge the pulse of the audience. He has stuck to the basics with the humor being driven in by characters and situations as there are no exaggerated dramatic flourishes, no playing to the galleries. He has ably extracted the best out of his cast n crew & made a thorough entertainer with all the blockbuster ingredients in it.  

CONCLUSION                                                            ::             GOREYAN NU DAFFA KARO is a well made, entertaining Punjabi movie which can be surely relished by Pollywood lovers along with their families. It wont disappoint you at all. 

ROHIT SHARMA.

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rohitreview@gmail.com

     

Finding Fanny :: Movie Review

FINDING FANNY is an enthralling flick which is unusual yet delightful, dark yet appealing, funny yet not over the top and entertaining yet not in the typical bollywoodish manner. After a long hiatus, a movie has come in which laughter does not come through characters making poker faces, forced gags, stale one-liners but flows in the narrative through well sketched characters. The laughs are character-driven and occasionally situational; the anticipation of conflict and their behavioral oddball kinks keep you chuckling even through the silence. Finding Fanny, breaks the mould of stereotype cinema right from the first scene and treads on its own path taking you on a different cinematic journey. I bet, Finding Fanny wont find many takers because of its unconventional theme & treatment which is in total contrast to the flashy, gaudy and escapist cinematic fanfare-soaked in dialoguebaazi and masala moments. The makers have deliberately stayed away from putting any kind of gloss, melodrama or any kind of masala element making it a real different film to watch.  Kudos to the makers for offering audience a film that remains true to itself in every frame, Where there are no insecure songs, superfluous characters, overwritten scenes or obvious plot points. Laced with racy humour and witticisms, the film delivers some introspective thoughts almost like a sneaky mom who slips in veggies in fun food when no one’s watching.  Without any social message or any emotional drama, Finding Fanny looks out for that emotional chord in you, sweeps across it and leaves you with a long lasting smile on your face.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                            ::                       The writing credits for Finding Fanny go to Homi Adajania & Kersi Khambatta. The biggest asset of the script is its consistency in simplicity without going overboard or melodramatic at any stage and perfectly layered characters. Refreshingly hatke in its tone and gorgeously mounted in terms of its treatment, this film requires you to warm up to the quirky plot layered with a range of subtexts. It also offers a plethora of idiosyncrasies unleashed by its caricature-esque characters i.e. a picture-perfect girl-next-door Angie (Deepika) who lost her husband five minutes into the marriage, her well-rounded (pun totally intended) mother-in-law Roslyn played by Dimple, a passionate painter constantly in search of a female muse, Pedro (Pankaj) and a morose young man, Savio (Arjun) that will not only tickle your funny bone, but will also take you close to the true definition of love-not necessarily romantic love though-and life! 

Angie (Padukone) and Rosie (Dimple Kapadia) are unmerry widows, Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapur) is deluded, Freddie (Naseeruddin Shah) is lost, Savio (Arjun Kapoor) is frustrated, and even the priest (Anand Tiwari) looks like he would rather be on the beach. There’s at least one redundant Russian.

Read more at: http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/jqVuyG0TaQ4ikpYY4oqD4K/Film-Review--Finding-Fanny.html?utm_source=copy

The story revolves around five characters and is set in a village called Pocolim in Goa where life is slow and simple. Their needs are minimal and they live what I would call a retired life. A young widow Angie (Deepika Padukone) decides to help the old postman of the village Fredie (Naseeruddin Shah) to find his long lost love. He is depressed because it's now, after 46 years he finds out that the love letter he wrote to the woman he loved actually never reached her. In this mission of Finding Fanny, Angie ropes in her mother-in-law Rosie (Dimple Kapadia) the self-appointed Lady of Pocolim who calls the shots and throws her weight around with the locals. Savio (Arjun Kapoor) who loved Angie many years ago is back in town, he will drive the car as he is the only one who can, the car which belongs to Don Pedro (Pankaj Kapoor), an artist who's interested in Rosalina. It actually is not the destination that matters here but it's the journey of these five characters completely different from each other but with clean hearts. What follows is a deceptively funny and effortlessly insightful journey through a scenic Goan landscape. Once on the road, the five laugh, squabble and make-up before getting back to the routine. The ride, as bumpy as it may have been, brings them closer to each other and themselves. Like most road trip films, this one too is a journey to self-discovery — one that explores the latent desires of those who take it, while underlining the idea that it is the journey that matters, not the destination. Not once though, does the tone seem sermonizing.

STARCAST                                                               ::                    Now for the main part, performances, one can't surely get enough of it in this offering. To start with Naseeruddin Shah, who plays the role of Ferdie in the film. Impeccable, flawless, enchanting, etc. the English language would be short of adjectives to describe what a marvelous actor he is. He personifies the character of an old post man who lives in world of his own and has no regrets or complains about it. His mere presence in the frame can grip the audience. The quest of him looking out for his long lost love is portrayed perfectly via his expressions and body language. Pankaj Kapoor plays the role of an artist, Don Pedro Cleto Colaco, who has a fetish for voluptuous women. The eccentric character is portrayed hilariously well by him. The change in moods and expressions are so effortless, that one remains amazed.  Dimple Kapadia who plays Rosalina "Rosie" Eucharistica, in the film, is annoyingly hilarious, and the credit definitely goes to her caliber as actor where she can actually make the audience annoyed. Her voluptuousness in the film is justified as it adds to the reason of Pedro (Pankaj Kapoor) in the film. Deepika Padukone looks gracious as a goan. Even without makeup she looks great on screen. She plays the role of Angie, the reason for the whole journey in Finding Fanny.  Arjun Kapoor who plays Angie's heartbroken lover Savio, is this angry young man in the film, whom you fall in love with. He is full of sarcasm and thus hilarious at certain situations.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                    ::                  The background music of the movie that has been composed by Mathias Duplessy is also one of the highlights of the movie. It has a pleasant, soothing Goan feel to it which goes in perfect tandem with the movie and make the on-screen proceedings seem more lively. The cinematographer of the movie is Anil Mehta who has done a great job behind the camera. He has captured some breathtaking shots of Goa and the best part is that it is minus those beaches and parties that we are accustomed to watching in most of the movies shot in Goa. The movie has been edited by A.Sreekar.Prasad who has done a real crisp job. He has kept the run-time to 1 hour and 32 minutes with the pace of the movie going even all through. But, the movie belongs to its director Homi Adajania who has kept the flow of narrative very smooth and sublime, without adding anything superfluous in it to disturb its original texture. Finding fanny  is such assured film making that whether you like the movie or not you can't help but believe and buy into the weird, insular, rural world that Homi creates. The film has some dark and dramatic moments, but Adajania gives you no time to mull over them, bringing in a comical or satirical twist almost in the next shot and turning the mood right on its head.  

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/movie-review-finding-fanny-deepika-padukone-arjun-kapoor-pleasing-peculiarities-of-people-of-pocolim/1/382369.html

CONCLUSION                                                            ::                       Finding Fanny is a movie which is really different in the way that despite the presence of some established stars, it stays true to its simple and meaningful script without adding any unnecessary commercial elements to it. In an industry where the economics of filmmaking overrides the essence of the craft, Finding Fanny reasserts the power of simple story telling, making it one of the most refreshing and delightful films of recent times.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/finding-fanny-arjun-kapoor-deepika-padukone-movie-review/1/382142.html

ROHIT SHARMA.

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

rohitreview@gmail.com

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Mary Kom :: Movie Review

MARY KOM is a well concocted inspiring flick not only about boxing but also about determination, selfless love of a doting husband and red-tapism, politics prevalent in sports bodies. "Mary Kom" is a motivational masterpiece. From first frame to last it grips your senses and irrigates the parched corridors of your heart like very few biopics in recent times. Admirably the narrative doesn't over-sentimentalise MK's struggle. This is "Mother India" without the glycerine and melodrama. As played by Priyanka, MK is both gritty and giggly, plucky and precocious, a ferocious fighter and a tender mother. Clearly, Mary Kom is not just about delivering punches to bleed the opponents. It is about the odds the iron lady challenges despite proving her mettle twice over to stay in the reckoning, to reinforce her grit and-above all, else-to save herself from the ignominy that one draws upon oneself inadvertently for being a forgotten sporting hero. Generally, movies revolving around sports resort to the formulaic ‘emergence of an underdog’ theme. Mary Kom doesn’t travel the beaten path. Omung Kumar shows how true champs get going even when the going gets extremely tough. He shows his protagonist as a born fighter, but then he escalates the drama to showcase how the fierce fighter converts herself into a perpetual winner by facing the odds that are stacked against her.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                                      ::      The story of Mary Kom has been penned down by Saiwyn Quadras who has infused some some bollywood elements in this biopic to make it more of an entertaining drama but still the narrative has a soaring quality and texture. It simply takes off with scarcely any room for breathing space. The breathless quality of storytelling goes well with the protagonist's stormy mercurial nature. A flashback narrative employed at the start of the film soon gives way to linear storytelling, taking away the misplaced sense that the unrest in Kom’s native Manipur will play a significant role in the plot. As MC' story unravels in a flashback we meet a woman who is not affected by gender rules and discrimination that governs our society.  Very early in the tightly clenched narrative, we see MC get into a full-fledged scuffle with a school bully. Later she takes on another far more dangerous bully who threatens to destroy her boxing career. In and out of the arena Mary never stops fighting. As far as the storyline goes, Mary Kom (Priyanka Chopra) is daughter of a rice paddy farmer who wants her to join athletics but she has a undying passion for boxing. Post her opting to box, Mary accidentally lands up at the boxing training academy of her coach Narjit Singh (Sunil Thapa), who, after seeing her persistence, teaches her that 'the world maybe round for everyone, but her world should be the shape of the boxing ring, a Square'! Mary's talent for the sport combined with her coach's training form a deadly unbeatable lethal combo who go on to win international competitions galore. However, things come to standstill when Mary marries Onler Kom, despite her coach's firm opposition, and Mary's subsequent pregnancy, and her delivering twin children, thus bidding adieu to her long cherished game of boxing, something which her coach had always feared for. Resigned to live the life of a commoner finding it difficult to survive with two kids, Mary applies for a job, but the job she gets is that of a 'hawaldaar', something that slaps her from within. Unable to continue with a mundane existence, Mary vows to make a comeback in the ring. Now, after serious losses in the ring, the absence of her coach and the unbending politics of the boxing federation, Mary faces an uphill task. Will she manage to convince her coach to train her again and will she manage to overcome the boxing federation forms the rest of the film

STARCAST                                                                ::                      It is Priyanka’s spirited portrayal of the pugilist that makes it possible to ignore the flaws in craft as it’s hard to point a finger at her performance. Right from the body language of a boxer, to her mercurial temperament, her vulnerability and the fight within her, PC brings alive the living legend. If the real Mary Kom gave her all to be the boxer she wanted to be, Priyanka does no less to become Mary Kom. She may not have transcended the physical attributes of the diminutive Mary in the actual sense but she has brought the boxer to life convincingly enough, leaving you rooting for her, long after the end credits roll. If Mary is the champion inside the boxing ring, Onler is the superstar off it. And Darshan brings just the right amount of sensitivity to the part. It’s a marvel how he underplays himself next to a superstar (PC) just like the real Onler does in Mary’s life. He also seems to have got the diction right unlike his other co-stars, which makes him a natural fit for the role. Full marks go to Sunil Thapa, who shows his emotional, professional and rational sides with equal ease. He is exactly what the highly ranked coaches are made up of. 

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                               ::                        The soundtrack of the movie has been composed by Shashi-Shivam which is on a very average scale which sounds good while the movie is playing & does not have repeat value. But the background score by Rohit Kulkarni aptly makes up for it and lifts the tempo of the movie with its quality. The cinematographer of the movie is Keiko Nakahara who has done a fabulous job with the camera. as the visuals of the movie aptly befit the grandeur of a biopic. Be it the milieu of rural Manipur or the aggression in a boxing ring, cinematographer Keiko Nakahara astutely captures it all. The movie has edited crisply by Sanjay Leela Bhansali who has kept the run-time to 123 minutes which makes it quite short in duration when compared to other biopics that we have seen. The little hiccup is that the movie shuffles between past & present quite a bit in the beginning which is a tad confusing. As a debutant director, Omung Kumar has made a sincere effort and has managed to impress as a director. The best part is that   Kumar’s film does not dwell much on boxing, focusing on the sportsperson rather than the sport itself. The matches are an aside, acting as relief in between events from the boxer’s life.

CONCLUSION                                                                ::                 One aspect that makes Mary Kom worth a watch is that it has its heart and soul at the right place. It might not be as exciting or thrilling as the regular Bollywood masala fares but it still manages to entertain you due to some earnest performances & inspiring storyline. 

ROHIT SHARMA.

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

rohitreview@gmail.com

Mardaani :: Movie Review

                                                      

MARDAANI can also aptly be called MARD(R)AANI as it is Rani Mukerji who carries the whole movie on her shoulders by brilliantly portraying the exploits of the amazing Shivani Shivaji Roy, a Mumbai crime branch senior inspector who is tough, honest, intelligent and brave. Stripped off the gloss that director Sarkar has been guilty of since he started his career, Mardaani has a suitably dark opening, retains its grimness throughout, and keeps developments on the right side of credibility for as long as possible. Set in Mumbai and Delhi, Pradeep Sarkar’s film, which is “partly” inspired by a real-life cop as imagined by journalist and writer Hussain Zaidi, is mostly a taut, focused film that sets out to tell two stories — the story of child trafficking in India, and the story of a cop who makes it her mission to free one girl forced into sex trade, and thereby unravels a sex-trafficking ring.  What’s new about Mardaani is that it puts a lady in the shoes of a classic movie hero. She’s quite literally the Dirty Harry of Maharashtra. But she doesn’t talk smack unless she needs to. She quietly goes about dispensing justice in all androgynous glory.  Sans any redundant frills like unrealistic action or dialoguebaazi to add to the luster of the movie, Sarkar keeps everything well within the proportions and focused that too without any unwanted aural intruders. Besides what is praiseworthy and pertinent to mention about Mardaani's plot is that despite being a commercial cine venture it up-till great extent succeeds in sending across a social message conspicuously as well as obliquely.  Mardaani breaks through all clichés and stereotypes and makes Indian Women feel proud about something.

STORY & SCREENPLAY                                                      ::                             The story of the movie has been penned down by Gopi Puthran on a concept suggested suggested by Hussain Zaisi & Vibha Singh. The best part about the storyline is that despite the protagonist of the story being kind of a superhero, the makers have taken the gritty realism route, letting her cape remain invisible. That’s the intelligent part of writing in the film. It’s designed to hit you exactly where it hurts. Nonetheless every shot of misogyny is shot with careful censorship. You won't feel offended by the visual & just by the characters. Crusading cops working for the greater common good have now taken residence in the superheroic realm after films like Dabangg and Singham, and it seems unfathomable that Shivani would entertain taunting calls from the trafficking ring’s leader Karan (Tahir Raj Bhasin) and risk life by travelling into his lair in Delhi purely for professional reasons. The reason you empathize with Rani’s character and her skirmish is because she is fighting the good fight. You’re exposed to the misdeeds of the villain pretty early. You hate him when you see him exercise such control over helpless girls and their virgin minds and bodies. Human trafficking is a serious crime. And Mardaani gives you the low down unadulterated. Seeing such emotional torture being inflicted on young girls can have only one effect: condemnation. Shivani Shivaji Rao (Rani Mukerji) is a senior inspector in Mumbai’s Crime Branch who doesn’t get frazzled or hassled easily — not when two-bit political goons threaten her, not when her senior reprimands her for being flexible with rules. She is also, as the film’s  title suggests, gutsy and hardy. Shivani lives in a flat with her husband, Dr Bikram Roy (Jisshu Sengupta), and her niece. Pyari (Priyanka Sharma) is an orphan Shivani rescued and made a part of her extended family.  On duty she’s either catching slippery dons, or restoring order by slapping around a few Bharatiya sanskriti bullies. This daily routine gets upset when Pyari doesn’t turn up to cut her birthday cake. Shivani goes looking for her — the trail from the orphanage first leads to a car dealer in Mumbai, and then to Delhi, to a man known as Vakil (Anil George) and the chief pimp, Karan (Tahir Raj Bhasin). Shivani makes it her mission to find Pyari. But while she is chasing them, she doesn’t know what’s happened to Pyari. We do. Pyari has been kidnapped by Karan’s gang and is now in the “market”. What follows, is a cat & mouse game which keeps you glued to your seats in anticipation of whats gonna happen next.

STARCAST                                                                              ::                   Each n every actor of Mardaani has been aptly cast as per their character for which the casting director, Shanoo Sharma, deserves accolades. With Mardaani, Rani Mukherji marches past all Khans, Kapoors, Kumars and Devgns. Rani Mukerji proves yet again that she can give most A-listers today a run for their money. She's fierce, fearless and 'mardaani'. She carries the whole film on her shoulders alone. She knows how to hold the camera with just her eyes.  Full marks to Rani Mukerji’s attempt and performance. The expletives never seem jarring, the androgyny doesn’t seem misplaced. She’s the hero of Mardaani and she’s pitch perfect. Although Rani embraced a de-glam avatar for "Mardaani" but in-spite of that she proved that when it comes to proving the mettle of her acting prowess then no one can beat her.  Surprising all by his cut-to-cut performance is the 27 year old Tahir Bhasin in the role of Karan Rastogi a.k.a Walt, who is the Mafia Kingpin of the whole game. His style is natural and so is his acting. The newbie just delivered a scintillating performance. He gave the character the extra edge that made Walt look more ruthless, shrewd and inhumane. Anil George really impresses in a small and memorable part as the sleazy lawyer who operates the trafficking operation. Bengal’s pride Jissu Sengupta, had a brief role and there was not much for him to do. The young girl Priyanka Sharma in the role of Pyaari just makes you connect to the plight and it really takes a lot of mental preparation on part of a young girl to pull off such a role.

TECHNICAL FINESSE                                                                     ::               The soundtrack of Mardaani has been composed by Salim-Suleiman which is nothing to write home about as there is only a single track in the movie. But it Julius Packiam’s background music which is really good and elevates the cinematic proceedings by going in fine sync with it. Cinematography of Arthur Zurawaski who captures the milieu with utmost excellence is top notch. He has done a commendable job by depicting the gritty environ with striking visuals, closing in tight on the protagonist in dramatic moments. Also, Gopi deserves applause for writing some hard hitting dialogues in the screenplay which lift the tempo of the movie like ''Apne papa ko mera naam theek se bol, Shivani Shivaji Roy. Ukhaad, ukhaad jo ukhadneka hai. chal re.'' & ''Inka makeup aisa mat kiya kar jaise bacchiyan ho, un haramzadon ko inme apni maashuka dikhni chaiye, beti nahi''. The movie has been edited by Sanjib Datta who has kept the run-time to a crisp 113 minutes and has done a fabulous job as the movie catches hold of your attention right from the first scene to the climax without giving you a chance to go out for a loo break. Action sequences of Manohar Verma are quite realistic and looks exclusively designed for a women centric cine flick. As a director, Pradeep Sarkar does a fairly good job with the film. With a subject as strong as human trafficking, the film lives up to the expectations of a hard hitting piece of cinema, well, almost. He takes a different approach in the film, unlike his previous works & that's why the film has a fresh feel to it. With sinewy performer like Rani in the anterior of the camera Sarkar has once again astonished everyone with his cine experimentation. Well call it the cinematic dexterity of Sarkar or his vision from the very first frame till the consummation "Mardaani" never looses the appeal which a crime thriller with a message to communicate needs to have.

 

CONCLUSION                                                                            ::               MARDAANI is perfect balance between logic and emotion & is smart enough to engage your intelligence and dramatic enough to tug at your heart strings.  The bare truth and the harsh reality depicted in the film will subconsciously leave a mark and will definitely leave you pondering about things other than just masala and Entertainment.

 

ROHIT SHARMA.

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

rohitreview@gmail.com