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!