Review of Mithya

Overall Rating:***
Plot:****
Cast Performance:****
Sound Track:***
Cinematography:****

Expect a comic thriller. Extremely comic in the first half, not the laugh a minute type, but humourous and a sudden tragic thriller in the second half. Quite like many of Shakespere’s plays.

Rk (Ranvir Shorey) is a jugadoo junior artist who lives from day to day. He is working as an extra on a movie which stars Sonam (Neha Dhupia). Not surprisingly, RK likes Sonam from afar. However, his existence is very peripheral and after one really bad day he decides to go to the seaside with his adhaia of whiskey and a glass that comes free with it. He finds himself witnessing a shootout between two rival gangs. He goes to the police and finds the gang of Gawde (Naseeruddin Shah) on his tail. He is abducted and finds that he is the spitting image of Raje, the rival Don. Gawde plans to kill Raje and implant RK in his place, to finish the gang from inside.

After some hilarious training sessions, RK infilterates the Raje gang. A hesitant RK nearly botches it up but suffers a head injury and loses his memory. What follows from here on is a fast paced thriller that will keep you glued to your seats. You wont want to take any C or P breaks. Not too many laughs either here on.

The movie is taut and the scenes are all necessary, no faltu time wasting sequences anywhere. The acting is magnificent all around. Naseeruddin Shah, Saurabh Shukla, Vinay Pathak, Neha Dhupia, Iravati Bhogle and Harsha Bhogle, Suhasini Mulay, and many others I dont know the names of. The brilliant centrepiece is definately Ranvir Shorey.

Is it possible to make a good movie with actors who appear in peripheral roles in other movies? YES ! Sagar Bellary proved that in Bheja Fry and Rajat Kapoor proves it yet again. I wish I could kiss star studded movie goodbye and embrace small movies forever. I saw Loins of Punjab, The Blue Umbrella, Bheja Fry last year that were unknown small movies that wowed me totally. I missed Mixed Doubles and Raghu Romeo and hope to redress that and get some DVD’s.

The comedy sequences in the movie are just too funny to describe, not slapstick, not in your face funny, but extremely humourous. When the movie takes a serious turn, expect some really heartrending scenes.

Go watch it quick. I cant really predict if the movie will do well at the box office or not.

Mithya

Cast: Ranvir Shorey, Neha Dhupia, Naseeruddin Shah, Vinay Pathak
Director: Rajat Kapoor

Review Of Jodhaa Akbar

Overall Rating:**
Plot:**
Cast Performance:***
Sound Track:***
Cinematography:****

After making debut with the record-shattering LAGAAN and then crafting a message-oriented flick SWADES, lot has been expected of Ashutosh’s epic drama JODHA-AKBAR. Amidst all the controversies and hooplah surrounding the movie, it has been appealed by the makers of J-A that it should be treated more as a fiction than as page-by-page adaptation of one of the most famous chapter of Indian history books. So letzz take a sneak-peek into the History Books adorned with the creativity of Mr. Ashutosh Gowarikar through Jodha-Akbar:

Extravaganza of Brilliance and Glitches: When the events of 16th Century are shown on the silver screen in modern times, then Directorial craftsmanship and technical delicacies are paramount; more so, when you are blending the little-known truth with lotzz of fiction. The movie is not about the bravado of Jilaluddin Akbar; instead, it shows the soft-romantic side of the Mughal Emperor. With each passing reel, it becomes quite evident that the fictional part is taking its toll over the ultimate truth to such an extent that it becomes a farce at the end. The Vamp spinning its web over the Protagonist’s love life comes straight from Ekta Kapoor’s K-series and all the other tricks-n-traits of the supposedly Bad-Men in the business looks inspired from umpteen Bollywood Flicks. What makes this clichéd story-line a bit different from other run-of-the-mill crappers is its execution through intermittent brilliance of the proven-director, eye-soothing Cinematography by Kiran Deohans and stupendous performance by seasoned campaigners Ash and Hrithik in relatively unknown territory. The sheer grandeur-look of the movie is just spectacular; the credit should go to the Art-Director Nitin Desai too. Ashutosh has picturised the scenes in Battlefield with élan, the Sword-Fight sequence in climax standout amongst others. But, as is evident from my title, all the above highs of the movie were dwarfed by the length of the movie. Editor Ballu Saluja is under the hammer for this three and half long costume drama which takes off brilliantly but literally crawls towards the Intermission and after mid-way even “Snail’s pace” fails to epitomize the lingering progress of Ashutosh’s dream Project. This proves the fact: “Slow and Steady not necessarily wins the Race”.

Jodha-Akbar: Two actors that could easily slipped into the shoes of Akbar and Jodha are Hrithik and Aishwarya, thanks to their royal looks. Hrithik Roshan surely possess the poise and panache to get into skin of the character of a “Larger than Life” image of Akbar, but what’s more astonishing is to watch him deliver those heavy Urdu Dialogues with ridiculous ease. Director somehow couldn’t resist himself to showcase well-toned and artistically-chiselled body of Jr. Roshan, whether or not Akbar has that kinda brawny-frame is left for everybody’s speculation. Thank heavens, Ashutosh restrained himself in showing Hrithik’s Dancing prowess – barring Akbar swirling around for few seconds in a song, else it could have been disaster. On the other hand, Aishwarya looks gorgeous and ravishing in those traditional attires. But to the delight of the audience, behind all those heavy costumes and jewelleries, she still gave a gem-of-a performance worth applauding.

The Music for the movie is composed by none other than A.R. Rahman. For a lengthy movie like this, the songs should come as a relief to make the audience totally engrossed in them, but alas- the charismatic touch of the maestro is missing here. Jasn-e-Baharaa by Javel Ali and In Lamhon kii by Sonu Nigam are melodious songs but at the same time it further elongates the movie and as a result delays the proceedings. Same is the case with other songs viz Khwaja and Ajeemo-Shaan Shehansha. While the former is too lengthy to my liking, latter is a treat to watch and credit should go to the Director, Choreographer and the Cinematographer for showcasing this song in a grand way.

Review Of Johnny Gaddaar

Overall Rating:****
Plot:****
Cast Performance:****
Sound Track:***
Cinematography:***

Well written and taut scripts are no longer occasional in Bollywood. The film industry has witnessed several well made films over the past two years. Rang De Basanti, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Khosla ka Ghosla, chak de India etc are good examples of that. But rarely have we seen an original out and out thriller from our makers. Johnny Gaddaar is a welcome change to that. And a pretty good one.

I had high expectations from it as soon as I came to know that the scriptwriter is Jaideep Sahni, the man behind Khosla ka Ghosla and Chak de India’s excellent screenplays. After watching the film, I can safely say he hasn’t let me down. Like typical Jaideep Sahni stuff, the film takes its own sweet time to build up and the makers don’t rush things. And once the mood sets in, its hard to divert your attention elsewhere when the proceedings become more and more tense with every passing scene.

It has its share of ultra tense moments, and unpredictable twists in the second half, and the climax ends up on an ironical note; given the film’s genre and its plot, yopu cant ask for a fitter finale.
As the name of the movie suggests, its the story of how the lead character of the film gets himself into a mess when he decides to run away with all the money which he and his four partners decide to invest. The total amount being 2 crore and 50 lakhs, each one has to have a share of 50 lakhs. Its when Johnny - in the desire of a better life with his girlfriend (who’s incidentally the wife of another member of the group) ruins things up when his plans go haywire with one single incident on a train.

The story is interesting enough to keep you guessing what will happen next, right till the end. Its not what you call a shocking thriller, but its written with intelligence and the climax is what you can call perfectly ironical.

Direction is tight and there’s an RGV touch to several scenes in the film. After an impressive debut with Ek Hasina thi, Sriram Raghavan goes one step ahead and delivers a rocking thriler.

All the actors are in good form. Neil Mukesh who makes his debut does a good job as a debutant, but still has a long way to go. Dharmendra is fantastic in a short role, and Vinay Pathak in a non comic role is very competitive. Govind Namdeo and Zakir Hussain perform brilliantly too. Rimi Sen doesn’t have a very strong role but you cannot ignore her character’s presence in the film. Anyways, she does a good job.

Overall, Johnny Gaddaar is a treat to fans of the thriller genre. Dont expect anything shocking though. Just expect a well made movie with good performances and you wont be dissapointed.

No Smoking

Year of Release:26 Oct 2007
Genre:Drama
Banner :Big Screen Entertainment, Vishal Bharadwaj Pictures Pvt. Ltd.
Producer:Kumar Mangat
Director:Anurag Kashyap
Cast:John Abraham, Ranvir Shorey, Ayesha Takia, Joy Fernandes, Paresh Rawal, Sanjay Singh
Music Director:Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyricist:Gulzar
Cinematographer:Rajeev Ravi
Screenplay Writer:Anurag Kashyap
Editor:Aarti Bajaj
Action Director:Jai Singh
Sound Designer:Kunal Sharma
Choreographer:Ashley Lobo
Playback Singer:Adnan Sami

Synopsis:-
Sashank (John Abraham) is so addicted to smoking that is has become impossible for him to live without it. However, he gets a rude jolt when fed up with her husband’s craving for ciggies, his wife Anjali (Ayesha Takia) walks out on him never to return unless he quits smoking.

It is then he decides to do something about his obsession. He goes to meet Baba Bengali Sealdahwaale (Paresh Rawal), who runs a ‘ Prayogshala ’ -- a centre for rehabilitation from all sorts of addiction and afflictions.

When he meets the Baba; he walks into an agreement he can’t walk out of. Proud and desperate, Sashank throws caution to the wind and challenges the Baba’s diktats. However, he realizes that he can’t escape Baba no matter what he tries. Until of course the contract is complete.

It is based on the Stephen king short story "Quitter's Inc."

Mr.Black Mr. White

Release Date :5 October 2007
Genre:Comedy
Banner:Bipin Shah Productions
Producer:Deepak Shivdasani, Bhola Malviya
Director:Deepak Shivdasani
Cast:Suniel Shetty, Arshad Warsi, Sandhya Mridul, Upasna Singh, Vrajesh Hirjee, Tania Zaetta, Sharat Saxena, Mahima Mehta, Bobby Darling, Rashmi Nigam, Sadashiv Amrapurkar, Ashish Vidyarthi
Music Director :Jatin Pandit, Lalit Pandit, Tauseef Akhtar
Lyricist :Sameer
Choreographer:Rekha Chinni Prakash

Synopsis:Gopi (Sunil Shetty) a simpleton, arrives in Goa from Hoshiyarpur. His mission – to hand over an incredibly tiny piece of land to his childhood friend Kishen, which was his father’s last wish.
Kishen (Arshad Warsi), now a conman, swindles people with a little help from his accomplice, Babu (Atul Kale), to earn enough money to educate his sibling Divya (Mahima Mehta) who’s studying in London.

Kishen, however, has managed to hide his profession from Anuradha (Rashmi Nigam) merely saying that it’s Hari, his twin, who is the bad guy.

Kishen avoids Gopi like he’s bad news. He’s not going to give up his flourishing business and travel to Hoshiyarpur just to take possession of a measly piece of land!

Gopi, in his mission of chasing Kishen, is given a helping hand by Tanya (Anishka Khosla), daughter of the owner of KG Resorts.

Flash: Diamonds worth crores have been stolen in a breathtaking heist by three gorgeous girls who are now holed up at KG Resorts.

Kishen, Babu and everyone else learns about this and they all make a mad rush for KG Resorts. Gopi finds himself a part of the gang.

Who gets the diamonds? Does Gopi manage to take Kishen to Hoshiyarpur? And was the land just a meager piece of land or something more? The answers are out in black and white by the time you go through this hectic cinematic maze!

Review Of Manorama Six Feet Under

A nice thriller !

Overall Rating ***

Just so that you may know, Manorama clearly draws an inspiration from Roman Polanski’s 1974 classic film China Town starring Jack Nicholson. It takes guts to remake a film which is screened and dissected at cinema classes all over the world. So does debutant director Navdeep Singh manage to pull it off? To an extent!.

If you have seen the original China Town , you will know exactly what is in store. China Town was a complete diverse film and not an easy movie to understand in its first view. Manorama is a bit simpler to comprehend but that doesn’t mean you keep your brains at home.

Satyaveer Singh (Abhay Deol) is a PWD officer who is suspended for taking commission while on duty. His family comprises of his wife Nimmi (Gul Panag), his son and his corrupt police-officer brother in law Brijmohan (Vinay Pathak). While serving his suspension order, he ends up writing a detective novel Manorama. A woman (Sarika) who claims to be the wife of MLA P P Rathod (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) asks him to spy on her husband whom she thinks is having an affair with another woman. Satyaveer takes up the new job of being a detective and shoots photographs of Rathod with another woman. However, later on Satyaveer finds out that the woman who hired him was never Rathod’s wife in the first place. Who was the woman and why did she lie about her identity? As Satyaveer probes further he finds out that there is a bigger scam involved and as he delves deeper he finds himself even more trapped.

The film keeps you guessing and just when you expect the obvious another mystery turns up. Sorry to say but much credits cannot be given to the screenplay writer of the film for that as a lot-in fact most of it is borrowed from the original film. However, the more controversial parts of the original have been replaced with something which will blend with the Indian audience’s taste.
One problem is we wonder why Satyaveer is hell bent on solving the entire episode. The reasoning the director has given us is because he has never made a decision in his life and this is the first time he is doing something for himself. It seems a bit absurd to put one’s own life and family in danger to satisfy your search for power and personal satisfaction.

The film has been shot brilliantly and the rustic look of Rajasthan gives credibility to the proceedings. However, at some parts the Rajasthani dialect between characters might leave you confused, if you don’t understand the language.

Abhay Deol in a complete new and mature look is the light of the film. Never going over the top, Abhay does well for himself as the calm and composed Satyaveer Singh. For the record Abhay’s last film was loosely inspired from another Hollywood film Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino. Gul Panag compliments Satyaveer’s character very well. After Dor , she comes up with another fine performance. Raima Sen looks beautiful and does well for herself. Kulbhushan Kharbanda doesn’t have much of a role but he enacts his scenes with conviction. Vinay Pathak moves out of his Bheja Fry territory and gets full marks for his portrayal as the village cop.

The background music really goes well and thankfully there are no songs in the film except for one which plays in the background.

Director Navdeep Singh does a much better job in remaking a classic than what Ram Gopal Varma did with his Aag . Showing a lot of promise in his first film, Navdeep has found his type of cinema and we hope he sticks to it and gives us more films like these.

For people who grew up reading Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes or even Agatha Christie mysteries, this film is definitely for you. However, the film has its limitations (less entertainment value, drama, difficult plot) which the common man yearns for while venturing out to watch a movie. But the film is definitely a step ahead in the quest for better mystery films in India.

Review of Dhol"A light comedy, Dhol is an entertainer!"

Rating:***
Cast Performance:****
Sound Track:***
Cinematography:***

Priyadarshan is known as the king of comedies . He lives upto his name in the latest flick dhol. Dhol has got very funny moments which wll make you laugh aloud.
The story revolves around four good for nothing men .They try to become rich by marrying a rich girl and lands up in trouble.In the acting department almost all the actors have done well especially rajpal yadav he is very funny and diffrent from other actor . This little actor has stolen the show in many scenes . Some scenes in the movie are remarkably funny especially the pooja scene , office scene , scene involving ompuri rajpal and and the way they escape when are being held by villian.The oher actors sharman and kunal has done very well . Tusshar is good too . Tanushree and payal doesnt have a meaty role to play. Ompuri, asrani, tinku talsania have done thier roles well.
The movie has got some twists and turns too. Although these scenes do not match with comic scenes It is watchable.

The priyans style of story telling is similar to other movies with a priyan trademark. But the situations and dialogues are different and funny.Kudos to him for this movie.

The tiltle track is catchy . Other songs are okay bheega aasman is also a good number.There are only four songs in the movie .

At the box office this movie will be a success with plenty of comedy . It is a compltete light hearted entertainer . So leave ur brains at home and have a very nice laugh the movie is defenitley a joyride and heartful of laugh is guaranteed

Chhodon Naa Yaar

Release Date September, 2007
ProducerSameer Gaikwad
DirectorDilip Sood
Star CastJimmy Shergill,Kim Sharma,Mahak,Kabir Sadanand,Farid Amiri
Ahmed Khan,Vallabh Vyas,Vinod Nagpal
SingersAnand Raj Anand,Sunidhi Chauhan,Daler Mehndi,Shaan,Gaurav
Sukhwinder Singh
LyricistAnand Raj Anand,Panchhi Jalonvi
Music DirectorAnand Raj Anand,Ranjit Barot

Synopsis
An ordinary life was the last thing Ravi wanted. Regular or run-of-the mill was never that he would do. That is why Ravi, along with his two friends decides to venture into something.....which changed his life forever.
When Ravi (Jimmy Sheirgill), Shiv (Kabir) and Sunny (Farid), three final year students from a Delhi Mass Com College decide to make their diploma film about a myth prevalent in the northern hills of India, least did they know that the myth could well turn out to be the truth. The stark and most starling truth of their lives.

Against the wishes of his girlfriend Rashmi (Kim Sharma) and college professor Saxena (Ahmed Khan), who think that the subject is too dangerous for a college project, Ravi planned the trip. And Sunny eagerly joined in perceiving it as a fun trip. And surely fun it was when they began... But as they got deeper into the jungle their courage and beliefs were put to test. And then unprecedented happened...When their deepest fears and worst nightmares start to come true.

Now...

What would they do..? How would they do..? It was the question of their survival. Chasing his dreams, doing what he believed in was always the most important thing for Ravi, but this time... He went little too far to turn back... and the price that he had to pay for it was something he never bargained for.

Go

Releasing Date 28 Sep 2007
ProducerRam Gopal Varma
DirectorManish Srivastav
Star CastNisha Kothari,Rajpal Yadav,Kay Kay Menon,Ravi Kale,Gautam (Go),Govind Namdeo,Shereveer Vakil
SingersFarhad Bhiwandiwala,Priya,Vinod Rathod,SunidhiChauhan,Meenal Jain,Kunal Ganjawala,Suzanne D'Mello,Sneha Khanwlkar
LyricistSarim Momin,Milind Gadagkar,Nakul M,Rahul Seth,Swanand Kirkire
Music DirectorPrasana Shekhar,Sneha Khanwlkar,Amar Mohile,Dj Aqeel
ChoreographyShabina Khan,Harshall,Vitthal,Sonia Jhaffar

Gautam as Abhay Narula
Born in upper middle class of Bombay Suburbs, Abhay is bratty, quick witted, very independent and only child of his parents. He has an absolute belief in his ability to tackle any situation, though his lack of practical experience may contradict such a claim. He turns his charm on in a jiffy, eases his way out with a smile and makes people believe in him. He believes in loyalty and forms very strong bonds.

Nisha Kothari as Vasundhra Dave
Neighbor of Abhay comes from a similarly affluent background. Pretty and knows it, naïve and does not know it. Sweet natured and really does not mind Abhay pulling her leg. She tries to pay back in same coin and succeeds mainly because of unbelievable simplicity in her way of thinking. Has utmost belief is in her relation with Abhay and she has never tried to question it. She has a romantic streak in her and believes in chocolates and flowers.

Rajpal Yadav as Kay Jagtap Tiwari
A chameleon like conman who believes that he can con anyone at anytime, this belief leads to his downfall more often than not. His cons are swashbuckling and his appearance in constant makeover. He tries to reinvent himself into a new character everyday. What he does not know yet is that it is cagier to con him than him conning anyone else.

Kay Kay Menon as Nagesh Rao
Through years of his service serving justice he has lost out on his sense of right and wrong. There is deep seated bitterness and resentment that his honesty and ability has not been recognized or rewarded. A ticking time bomb and he is about to change his tracks.

Ravi Kale as Arjun Patil
From son of a primary school teacher in rural Chandarpur to Chief Minister of Maharashtra it has been long and arduous journey for Arjun Patil. Now he has got the power and he would do anything to keep it. He knows the art of politics and understands the culpability of power.
Discretion is second nature to him and backstabbing a habit which he has developed through his meteorically rise in power.
Sherveer Shereyar Vakil as T. S. Ranganathan
Ranga is a gun for hire, he has been in service for Arjun Patil for quiet a few years and he has a grudge that his loyalty has never been rewarded. Simple minded and very dangerous, he is not really pursued by logic or morality.

SYNOPSISTow lovers, Abhay & Vasu run away from home, little realizing that they will run into a whole bunch of colourful characters including: a rogue cop, a mean killer, a crafty conman and a chief minister who kills his own deputy. As the stakes get higher and the chase picks up, it’s up to Abhay to save the day. It’s a racy story which constantly collides with heady action, super scares and compelling humor. It’s a full speed entertainment right from the word GO!

Loins Of Punjab

Releasing Date:21 Sep 2007
Genre : Comedy
Director : Manish Acharya
Writers : Manish Acharya, Anuvab Pal
Cast : Ajay Naidu, Shabana Azmi, Ayesha Dharker, Samrat Chakrabarti

A new English-language comedy set in the ego-driven world of money- and fame-chasing NRIs, “Loins of Punjab Presents,” was named Best Feature Film at the 65th annual First Run Film Festival in New York in April and the early buzz about the film has been extremely positive.
Written in English and set in America one of the things people will love about the movie is the instant association you feel you know some of these characters.

Synopsis:‘LOINS OF PUNJAB PRESENTS’ is one of the first films to combine the musical vibrancy of a Bollywood film with a narrative rhythm that emerges from the West.
A ruthless philanthropist, A bhangra rapper, An over-protected prodigy, A reckless actress, A lovelorn businessman. An entrepreneurial yogi and last but not the least A Loin King. Enter a roller-coaster world of seven strangers whose lives collide during a singing contest in a small New Jersey town. The film provides a hilarious insight into the competitive world of Indian singing competitions, and while Indian audiences will recognize or identify with some characters, non-Indian audiences will get a flavor of the music and the larger-than-life quality of this community. It has great talented cast headed by Shabana Azmi who lets her hair down for this rip-roaring comedy, supported with Ayesha Dharker, Ajay Naidu, Darshan Jariwala, Seema Rahmani amongst a horde of other actors.

Review Of Nanhe Jaisalmer

Overall Rating:***
Cast Performance:*****
Sound Track:**
Cinematography:****

Love this little friend!

Imagination’s power is more powerful than you can imagine.
Human mind’s ability to dream and chase his dream successfully is always fascinating.But what makes one to press the start button for this chase? Not every dreamer chases and attains their dream.Is it love? Pain? Happiness?Courage to Adventure ? While it is important to identify our goals, dreams and ambitions, it is also important to apply the correct starter which gives the power to start and push us to a higher level, from where we can move above easily.

The movie start with a scene where the booker prize winner Vikram Singh ( Vatal Sheth ) autograph’s his prize winning book Nanhe Jasalmer and people waiting from early morning to get the author’s signature.The story is presented as the author tells the story of the book to a billboard boy.

Nanhe (Master Dwij Yadav ) is a 10 year old boy in a village in Rajastan called Jaisalmer, whose father abandoned him, his mother ( Pratiksha Lonkar ) and sister since the mother was illiterate. They had a camel Raja which helped them to survive. The mother educated her daughter where the small Nanhe took over the family’s responsibility at the age of 6.He moves around with the camel, Raja who is like a member in the family. He now is a famous tour guide in the village. He knows 4 foreign languages, which he studied from tourists.Still he is illiterate.His mother and a local teacher, push Nanhe to start his education which he refused, stating people are learning to earn their livelihood and if I am earning without education, why I need to learn?

Nanhe is a crazy fan of Bobby Deol.He holds a photograph from a film, in a shot Bobby Deol holds him in his hands (when he was just 4) and called him as ’Dost’. He believes that Bobby Deol is his friend and it is his duty to protect him, promote all his films and learn all news about him. If a Bobby Deol movie is coming to Jaisalmer, He make sure that he see the movie from the first row along with his friends (All old people, like Sharat Saxena) and after the movie he makes sure that he leaves his comments along with news from the family to Bobby Deol. The life was going on smoothly.In a day the news came in News paper that Bobby Deol is coming to shoot in Jaisalmer and the boy was so over thrilled and he made his sister to read the news till both of them fell asleep. Next day, while Nanhe was coming back after a Safari, a car was sanded in desert.Nanhe helped to bring pull the car out and when the driver asked his name, he said Nanhe and from the Car, none other than Bobby Deol come out and the story of nahe Jaisaler, his change, progress and dreams begins.

Samir Karnik, the writer director need more than an applaud for his fine story and its nice presentation.The story is simply good.The director tells it in fine manner. The climax however was very much predictable, where the scenes before the climax were surprising.

Dwij Yadav is Excellent. The story is entirely concentrating on Nanhe’s character and Dwij yadav lived the character to have a long stay in the audience mind. Bobby Deol is as good as he is. Vathal Sheth looked good, but less action in his face. Pratiksha Lonkar did a fine job so is the girl who played the role of Nanhe’s sister. Sharat Saxena was funny in his small role as a drunkard. All in all, the director succeeded in extracting almost best from his caste.

Cinematography by Binod Pardhan was brilliant.The beauty of Rajastan was traced to the screen with light and colour.The long deserts, the houses and the living of people…all brilliantly caught into films.A short shot of the wheat fields was simply superb.Scenes like Nanhe learn that Bobby Deol is coming to his village is top class…

Music is pretty average, but the title song was above average and suites the film most.There were 2 more average songs and 2 avoidable songs were part of the movie. However, the background music was extra brilliant.Choreography for the title song and for the marriage song were good.

When a good scene with a fine performance, excellent cinematography with good music background and emotion to support…what you will call it? The movie has at least 4 or 5 such scenes which stay with our mind for long.

The movie, we can describe as a children’s movie.Intend to project the value of education, friendship, responsibility and ambition.It may be a good idea to show the movie to schools of various states and to villages where illiteracy still prevails. The movie is capable to pass to certain people, but to who really needs.

In general perspective, it is a movie which entertains with the sheer power of story and performance.So, if you are one who looks for a good story irrespective of its glamour, action or top sets, you can watch it.If you are a person who goes for movies alone and go to see a movie irrespective of its box office fate, I think this movie is yours.Your children too may like the movie, since it is made for them.I liked the movie for sure.

Review Of Darling

Overall Rating:**
Cast Performance:***
Sound Track:****
Cinematography:*****

Exactly one week after delivering that dead duck of a film, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, the director shows up with Darling, something of a comic-horror film in which Fardeen Khan finds himself being stalked by the ghost of his mistress who died in a scuffle with him.

Esha Deol plays the ghost in question, who returns to complete some unfinished business with her cad of a boss who got her pregnant and then refused to leave his wife for her. Scared out of his wits, Fardeen can’t come clean to his wife Isha Koppikar, and doesn’t know how to get those pesky cops off his back.

What’s interesting about Darling is the manner in which director Ram Gopal Varma turns around the cliches you normally associate with ghosts in Hindi films: they’re mysterious, you don’t see them too often, they appear in a fog-like smoke, they don’t speak too much. But the ghost in Darling is a yackety-yack bitter ex who smacks him around, disturbs his love-making session with his wife, sobs in his living room, and calls him a bastard at least fifty times in the film.

The film’s best moments are the ones in which Esha Deol’s ghost shows up at all the wrong times to make Fardeen’s life a living hell. Like the time she shows up under his table while he’s dictating a letter to his secretary. Or the time she shows up in hospital when Fardeen Khan and his wife visit a friend recovering from an accident. Or then the time she shows up in his office when he’s being interrogated by the police.

Although disguised as a horror film, the only bit in Darling that really spooks you is Esha Deol’s determined, defiant gaze as a dead body. The film works more as a comedy, and introduces a bunch of supporting characters who provide the laughs: Fardeen Khan’s annoying co-worker with the sing-song voice, an investigating officer with a Sherlock Holmes hangover, and best of all, the detective’s dead-silent female assistant who looks like something straight out of a Ramsay film

It’s all a good laugh until Isha Koppikar decides to confront her husband and ends up driving not only Fardeen Khan mad, but also pretty much the entire audience mad with her constant fisherwoman-like nagging.

The film’s ending is stretched out way too long, and Fardeen Khan’s monologue to Esha Deol in the climax is the final blow. In the end, Darling has some fantastic moments, but those moments don’t come together to make a fantastic film.

When the camera isn’t lingering lovingly on Fardeen Khan’s blue chaddis, cinematographer Amit Roy uses it well to give us some dramatic movement. Like the disturbing, dizzying manner in which it alternates between each character in that pre-climax scene when the cops come over to Fardeen’s house to question his wife.

Director Ramgopal Varma pushes the envelope considerably, but just a little short of what was required here. Of the three leads, only Esha Deol delivers what can be described as a stand-out performance.

So then that’s two out of five and an average rating for “Darling”, don’t go in thinking you’re going to watch Ramgopal Varma’s new horror film, you saw that last week already.

Review of Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag

Overall Rating: *
Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag doesn’t come anywhere close to the real thing, Ramesh Sippy ’s Sholay

Unlike the original film, ‘RGV Ki Aag’ has nothing that leaves a lasting impression on a viewer. The movie is a mere assorted collection of Varma’s own interpretation of scenes from the original. There is no cohesive linear flow in the story. The dialogues, with frequent references to America, Iraq and Al Qaeda, are horribly amateurish. Nowhere close to the mastery of Salim and Javed in the original.

Varma was seemingly very obsessed with the idea of remaking ‘Sholay’. But he did not realize the mammoth task of recreating the same magic. And in his blind zeal and obsession, Varma has floundered big time.
Firstly, he cast wrong actors in the roles of Heero and Raj. Ajay Devgan (as Heero) doesn’t have the flair to tickle the funny bone. And newcomer Prashant Raj (as brooding Raj) simply doesn’t know how to act. With these two pivotal roles going to inappropriate actors, the movie is already half sunk. Only Mohanlal and Sushmita Sen look convincing in their respective roles.

Ramu has given a very different interpretation to the character of Babban Singh (originally Gabbar). His Babban looks menacing, repulsive and fatigued. He is a bit psychotic with a slight caricaturish streak. And yet you don’t dread this character half as much as you did Gabbar Singh. Unlike the latter, there is not a single dialogue of Babban Singh that you would carry home with you.

‘RGV Ki Aag’ stays loyal to ‘Sholay’ as far as the basic plot of the story is concerned. Two small-time crooks, Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj (Prashant Raj) catch the eye of honest police inspector Narsimha (Mohanlal) because of their bravery. Later, Narsimha hires them to catch the dreaded and notorious gangster Babban Singh Amitabh Bachchan ) who killed Narsimha’s family and cut off his fingers.

Heero and Raj arrive in Kaliganj where Heero falls for the charm of a beautiful auto-rickshaw driver Ghungroo Nisha Kothari ) while Raj develops feelings for the grim widow Durga (Sushmita Sen).

As Heero and Raj begin cracking down on Babban Singh and his men, battle lines are drawn. Babban, along with his henchman Thambi Sushant Singh ), will fight to the bitter end to eliminate the two brave recruits of Narsimha.

Ram Gopal Varma gives his own twist to the story and characters of the original movie. But he does incorporate some scenes from ‘Sholay’. Like the scene when Heero threatens to commit suicide if Ghungroo’s mother does not agree to marry her with him. Or Heero teaching shooting to Ghungroo. Or Durga nursing a wounded Raj.

What Ramu fails to do is to create a right chemistry between the characters. For instance, you don’t see and feel any camaraderie between Heero and Raj. Even the muted love between Raj and Durga is bland. To cut to the chase, Ramu fails big time as a director.
The cinematography by Amit Roy is brilliant, but Amar Mohile’s background score is terrible. Even the film’s songs are just mediocre compositions and the much talked-about Mehbooba Mehbooba (with special appearance by Urmila Matondkar and Abhishek Bachchan ) is not a patch on RD Burman’s composition.

The movie could have been salvaged only through performances, but there too one meets with disappointment only. Ajay Devgan is just average. Prashant Raj can’t act. Nisha Kothari hams. Mohanlal is good and Sushmita Sen is very expressive. Amitabh Bachchan does his best to enact Ramu’s interpretation of Babban Singh.

All in all, ‘RGV Ki Aag’ is a letdown. The movie only reminds you how great and matchless the real ‘Sholay’ was and is.

Saawariyan

Release Date November 9, 2007
DirectorSanjay Leela Bhansali
Star CastRanbir Kapoor,Sonam Kapoor,Rani Mukherjee,Begum Para,Achla Sachdev,Zohra Sehgal,Salman Khan...... Special appearance
Music DirectorMonty Sharma
ChoreographyMallu,Pappu,Ganesh Hegde,Shiamak Davar

Saawariya Preview
Sony Pictures’ first Indian Co-Production “Saawariya” (Beloved) is a unique collaboration with one of India ’s most well known and acclaimed directors, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The tenderness and the visual splendor of “Saawariya” will transport world audiences to the golden era of the great romantic movies beginning November 9, 2007.

“Saawariya” is a musical based on the short story “White Nights” written by Fyodor Dostoevsky. It is the story of a shy dreamer, Raj, who spent most of his time isolated in his apartment, creating riddles and finding answers to them, jabbering poetry or arguing with his foolish landlady Miss Disa, with whom he shared a love/hate relationship. Raj was loved by one and all, for he always brought happiness to the people around him. Destiny plans a magical tale for Raj over the next four nights of his life that shall change his entire being

Synopsis:“Saawariya” is a tender and romantic musical which centers around the chance encounter of two people, Raj & Sakina and their obsession with each other over four successive nights. “Saawariya” is a contemporary story about the immortal emotion - live with the unmistakable imprint of Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

It is the story of a shy dreamer, Raj (22 years old), who spent most of his time isolated in his apartment, creating riddles and finding answers to them, jabbering poetry or arguing with his foolish landlady Miss Disa, with whom he shared a love/hate relationship. Raj was loved by one and all, for he always brought happiness to the people around him. Destiny plans a magical tale for Raj over the next four nights of his life that shall change his entire being.

“Saawariya” is the story of a couple’s chance encounter and the advance of their parallel obsessions over four successive nights. An impromptu romance is initiated in a remote town in the serene beauty of picturesque Simla, a quaint hill station in Northern India that was once the summer capital of India under the British Raj, known for its lakes, mist, heavenly snowfall, rains and the tall swaying pine trees. The bright, fun-filled winding streets of the mall come alive with singing clubs, rustic folklore, dancing, love ballads, flourishing colonies of artists and weavers, and chants from the monastery- all woven in perfect harmony into a magical dream.

It is here that the dreamer finds the ‘lost’ self in himself.

Review of Heyy Babyy-----Nei Baby!

Overall Rating:**
Cast Performance:**
Sound Track:***
Cinematography:**
I had lot of expectations like many from Sajid
Khan, him being my favorite comedian and with a awesome sense of humor...This
movie totally lacks the charm that a good comedy movie contains and is just a drag..
Unwanted scenes and potty humor were some of the higlights. He has made a similar mushy, cheesy, crappy and bland movie for which he used to criticize Hindi Movies about.. The beginning 25 minutes was completely a drag
and we were hoping we could expect a funny scene next up..Nothing happened like
that...so many repetitive scenes in the movie and for so long. Come on who
wants to see a nappy being changed 50 times in a movie. There were only a few
times where we could laugh genuinely for his rib tickling dialogues but that
too did not last for long....The baby was my favorite of the cast with a cute smiling face and even surviving
a nearly drowning situation without much trouble...Akshay proved to be the best
among the rest with his comedy avatar which has been following regularly from his earlier
releases. Ritesh was ok and fardeen was completely bland at some places. Vidya
was cute and cuddly as usual and boman was hardly funny this time around
The script on the other hand was rather too complicated but the local junta dint bother much either. The balance between emotion and comedy was not anywhere proportional. Too much emotional stuff in the second half of the movie that made the movie disappointing. So SRK was a truly refreshing change for many and I could see the whole theatre
go up with joy on his entry. His role was too short, lasting for a couple of minutes and I think that was simply added just to pep up the masses.The soundtrack was really good by SEL. Melodious tunes and fast paced songs were really good and the song picturization was neatly done..Considered as the most humorous person he has had a not so funny humor added in
the movie. I really feel bad that Sajid has
directed this kind of a movie...Also a film critic in Kehne main kya harz hai he has criticized so many films
and this one should really include in his list also...You can make better ones
with a simple film plot.. Totally dissapointed and had huge expectations from Sajid to direct a matured comedy movie. Heyy baby...Better luck next tim

Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal

BannerUTV Motion Pictures
Release DateDecember 2007
ProducerRonnie Screwvala
DirectorVivek Agnihotri
Star CastJohn Abraham,Naveen Andrews,Bipasha Basu,Arshad Warsi,Raj Zutshi,Dibyendu Bhattacharya,Kushal Punjabi
Music DirectorPritam Chakraborty
Synopsis:Dhan Dhana Dhan… Goal, previously known as Goal,
GOAL is a story of that great optimistic trait – hope. The characters in this drama
fight the battle of hope through relationships, pride and their dreams.
Southall United is a football club going through a major crisis. The team has no stars, no sponsors, no spectators and most importantly, no coach. Yet, it nurtures the hope that is will win the cup this time.
The head of the city council, Anne, collaborates with Johnny Patel, a sports commentator, to acquire a large tract of land that is with this club. Together, they highlight the club’s lackluster performance and threaten to have the land taken from them, unless things change. Their biggest hope? That the team will lose, yet again.
Sir Devi Dayal Dhariwal, owner of the club, hopes to save the land from the greed of Anne and Johnny Patel.
Hanif, the captain of Southall United, hopes to win by playing the last card the club has. He brings in a celebrated ex-player to coach them.
And then, there is Sunny Bhasin (John Abraham) who hopes to become a member of a top team and play first division football – a dream every aspiring British footballer yearns for.
Will the coach manage to pull his team together? How does Sunny become a partof this team? And most importantly, will the club win the title and retain the ground?
Get Set GOAL is a contemporary story of the Asian community in UK told through the dynamic prism of professional football.

Dil Dosti Etc...

Release Date:28 September 2007
Genre:Romance, Social
Producer :Prakash Jha
Director :Manish Tiwari
Cast :Shreyas Talpade, Nikita Anand, Imaad Shah, Smriti Mishra, Ishita Sharma
Editor :Hina Saiyada
Art Director :Sunil Chabra
Costume Designer:Priyanka Mundada
Photographer :Arvind K
Synopsis
When you are young, you believe, the possibilities are endless...
What does an eighteen year old guy in college really want? Dil Dosti Etc is a fresh and unabashed look at how young men of today think and choose to live their lives. Dil Dosti Etc is set around students in Delhi University. Through two university hostellers, Apurv (Imaad Shah), a rich, cosmopolitan guy and, Sanjay Mishra (Shreyas Talpade), an old-fashioned Bihari guy, the film juxtaposes the ?new/ liberal? and the ?old/ conservative? in our society.
Sanjay is an ambitious and focused student-politician in Delhi. He represents the romantic and the idealist who steadfastly pursues his political goals. On the other hand, Apurv?s life is directionless. With the abundance of time and money in hand, he searches for meaning in life through amorous escapades with various girls.
The three female leads ? that of a prostitute (Smriti Mishra), a school girl and a rich model, provide a myriad of social and emotional backdrops to the film. Vaisali (Smriti Mishra) plays an attractive but sharp-tongued prostitute. She claims never to get emotionally attached to her customers. Then there is the precocious school girl Kintu (Ishitta Sharrma), who coquettishly remains noncommittal to Apurv?s flirtations and plays hard to get. Prerna (Nikita Anand) is the rich South Delhi babe who aspires to become an international model, and yet finds herself attracted to the earthy and charismatic student-politician, Sanjay.Dil Dosti Etc uses a rich ensemble of characters, stories and themes to explore the very nature of friendship, male bonding, voyeurism, sexual perversion, love and betrayal. The film, based on an original screenplay, is full with realism and black humour and shows the coming of age of not only a young man but also explores the ambiguities and pre-occupations of an entire generation.
Dil Dosti Etc has been produced by Prakash Jha and directed by Manish Tiwary.

Manorama Six Feet Under

Release DateSeptember 21, 2007
GenreComedy, Thriller, Suspense
ProducerKetan Maroo
DirectorNavdeep Singh
Star Cast:Abhay Deol,Raima Sen,Gul Panag,Sarika,Vinay Pathak,Kulbhushan Kharbanda
SingersRoop Kumar Rathod,Mahalakshmi Iyer,Richa Sharma,Kailash Kher
Zubeen Garg,Jayesh Gandhi
LyricistManoj Tapadia,Irfan Siddique,Surendra Mishra,Rowdy
Music DirectorJayesh Gandhi,Raiomond Mirza
Story / WriterNavdeep Singh,Devika Bhagat
Synopsis:Homage to the noir genre, Manorama Six Feet Under is about an amateur detective in a small town who finds himself caught in a web of lies, deceit and murder.
SV (Abhay Deol) is a government engineer but his real ambition has always been writing detective fiction. Unfortunately, his maiden attempt, a novel called Manorama, sank without a trace and he has been reduced to writing for cheap pulp magazines.
Stifled by the dreariness of small town existence and frustrated by his failure, SV's life takes a turn when the wife of a powerful local politician arrives at his doorstep with an irresistible offer; the chance for SV to play a real life detective by spying on her husband. Intrigued and tempted by the opportunity to redeem his self worth, SV accepts.
Upon completion of his assignment, things take a turn when SV discovers that the woman is not who she claims to be. The situation get further complicated when she is killed in a mysterious accident.
Sensing foul play, SV begins investigating her death only to discover that nothing is what it seems to be and that redemption doesn't come easy….

Nanhe Jaisalmer

Releasing Date:14 September 2007
Presenter:Eros International
Producer:K. Sera Sera Production
Director:Sameer Karnik
Cast:Bobby Deol, Katrina Kaif, Dwij Yadav, Prateeksha Lonkar, Sharat Saxena, Bina Kak, Rajesh Vivek, Rushita Singh, Vivek Shauq, Sukhwinder Chahal, Adil Rana, Lokesh Pandit, Sudhir Kumar, Karan Arora, Vikrant Thakur, Amrish Sharma, Arun Kumar
Special Appearance :Vatsal Seth
Music Director :Himesh Reshammiya
Lyricist:Sameer
Story Writer :Sameer Karnik, Eklavya Singh Bhati
Background Sound :Monty Singh
Choreographer:Piyush Panchal
Synopsis:Young Nanhe speaks four foreign languages, but he's an 'angootha chaap'! He's all of ten years old, but he's the sole breadwinner for his family.
He lives in arid Rajasthan, but his room is as full of colorful posters, as his imagination is full of vivid dreams. But unlike other ten year olds his dreams are not fickle...not likely to change from day to day. Nanhe has just one dream... just one constant hope that keeps him dimpling through the hardships of life. That one day he will meet his dost, his best friend, actor Bobby Deol!
He makes his sister Suman write a letter to his dost every day; sharing all his news, his big battles, his little triumphs. He sees each and every film of his dost. His room is filled with cutting and photographs of his dost.
He lives, breathes, talks - dost. All of Nanhe's waking moments are consumed by his dost.
In his sleep, too, he dreams only of his dost. Then one day, one fantastic day, Nanhe actually comes face to face with his dost Bobby Deol!
And Nanhe's life changes forever...