Tanu Weds Manu – Movie Review

Film: “Tanu Weds Manu”
Starring: R. Madhavan, Kangana Ranaut, Jimmy Shergil, Swara Bhaskar
Rating:
Director: Anand L. Rai
Why should you watch “Tanu Weds Manu”? For R. Madhavan who will win you heart as a sweet lovable NRI doctor Manu who has the misfortune of falling in love with a Kanpur-girl Tanu (Kangana Ranaut) who not only rejects him as a suitor but also uses him to elope with her ruffian boyfriend.
Hiding his heartbreak and disappointment behind a smile, Madhavan fits into the role of a goody goody NRI like a glove. He is hopelessly in love with Tanuja who doesn’t miss a single opportunity to hurt him. Rules, they say, are meant to be broken and that’s what Tanu’s agenda in life is – to break all rules that a middle-class family swears by.
Well, an NRI coming home to find a suitable bride for him is very common in Indian society and director Anand Rai’s comedy opens with the same. He tries to be as close to reality as possible – from the backdrop, to clothes, to character artists – all bring out the element of a middle-class setup perfectly.
With a marriage in the background providing a perfect place for Tanu’s second chance meeting with Manu, the movie traces the relationship between the girl and the NRI. Surely, perfect material for sentimental romances with ‘comedy ka tadka’.
But there is something missing to make it a perfect romantic comedy. First, the script is punctured, then their is no chemistry between Madhavan and Kangana and if that was not enough, the narrative doesn’t flow at the desired pace – it’s slower than it should be.
Though the director picked up an interesting subject, he has not succeeded in executing his story effectively on screen – there are not enough laughs in the film. Whatever funny scenes are there, credit goes to the chemistry between Madhavan and Deepak Dobriyal who plays his friend Pappi.
Kangana’s dialogue delivery puts you off and she lacks the spunk and spark to play the free bird that she is in the movie. In fact, Swara Bhaskar, who plays her friend Payal, holds the fort as the Bihari girl who is marrying a sardarji (Eijaz Khan) who also happens to be Manu’s best friend.
Payal is impressed with Manu and even tries to drill some sense into Tanu’s head but Tanu, a rebel, doesn’t want to admit her feelings for the man who is picked by her parents.
Critics won’t appreciate the plot but Madhavan fans would find enough material to enjoy the film.
Music plays an important role in a wedding-based romantic comedy and the director could have got it right if he had opted for fast-paced peppy numbers.
In the performance department, full marks go to Madhavan, Deepak and Swara. The supporting cast of K.K. Raina, Rajendra Gupta and Navni Parihar don’t have much to do, but whatever role they have, they carry it well. Jimmy Shergill as Kangana’s ruffian boyfriend is wasted, so is Ravi Kishen as his sidekick.
If you are looking for a great romantic comedy, this is not the one, but watch it for Madhavan and his chemistry with Deepak.

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No One Killed Jessica Movie Review

With a title taken from a Times of India headline, it is evident that No One Killed Jessica has the intention of being something other than standard Hindi film fare. The subject of the production, the murder of model and celebrity bar-tender Jessica Lall, serves as the mainframe of the story and seldom does the plot stray far from the real-life incident and the ensuing embryonic movement to score 'Justice for Jessica' after the trial collapses.

Director Rajkumar Gupta (his second film after Aamir) opens with a montage of India's capital, the track 'Dilli' an accompaniment to visual imagery presenting the many facets of the city, before focusing in on a 2am phone call to Sabrina Lall (Vidya Balan) hearing that her sister Jessica (debutante Myra) has been shot. The film then takes us through flashback from the hospital to a late-nineties club scene, creating a rising tension that culminates in Manish (Zeeshan Ayyub) firing a gun after being refused a drink.

In a role spinning a 180 to the quintessential Yash Raj heroine, Rani Mukherjee plays Meera Gaity the straight-talking, chain-smoking NDTV journalist, who originally refuses to cover the Jessica Lall story as it lacks the glamour of her last assignment, the Kargil Conflict.

Sound like a familiar figure? You cannot but help draw parallels with senior NDTV presenter Barkha Dutt. When we contacted Barkha (although she still has to view the film) she seemed to agree with the Meera comparison, and confirmed that the filmmakers had shot in her office. Although the scene where Meera is shown going from a yoga headstand to on-camera in under ninety seconds, Barkha took to be artistic license.

In contrast to Mukherjee, Balan as Sabrina Lall fills the screen with fragility and a quiet emptiness. We see the transformation of her character from a wounded sister uncomfortable in the glare of the media spotlight, to a figure who, inspired by flashbacks by the courage of Jessica, remains vocal and unwavering in her fight to bring about justice

While costume designer Sabyasachi has put Mukherjee in costumes that begin with late-nineties news anchor wear to become steadily more polished and TV friendly, a deglam Balan is presented in shapeless, masculine clothing and the same grey t shirt that she inhabits in scene after scene over a five-year period.

For vast portions of the film, Rani Mukherjee and Vidya Balan do not share screen space. In fact, the two really only come together in one or two pivotal scenes firmly into the second half and in a cinematic denouement in the final reels. One potential problem in filming the stories that are essentially interlinked but only intertwined at the end, is that the project at times comes across as almost two separate productions. From the performance styles to the art direction, from genre to dialogue delivery, the shift between the tracks of Mukherjee and Balan can be dis-jarring. When the two actors do come together, however, you realise that the wait is worth it. Their initial meeting at Sabrina's house aptly demonstrates why both of these Hindi film heroines are regarded as actors while their contemporaries might simply be called stars.

The film has been marketed by UTV as a political thriller. It can equally be regarded as a courtroom drama, with significant sections of narrative devoted to the trial of the accused and the unfolding drama as three hundred witnesses turning hostile. Unlike most Indian cinema, the genre of romance remains untouched. From Sabrina's proclamation that she has never had a boyfriend to Meera's casual rejection of a one-night-stand when she gets a late-night work related phone call, these instances seem emblematic in their telling that other cinematic subjects exist beyond romantic love. In spite of the sombre tone of the film, some moments of humour punctuate the story, the sting operation against Vikram Jai Singh (Neil Bhoopalam): epic, the (filmi) ma who peers around the kitchen curtain three times throughout the film to proclaim "Do whatever it takes but save my Monu": epic fail.

One criticism that I would have of NOKJ, is that, weaned as we are on the star system of Bollywood, the extended scenes where the lead actors are missing from the frame, as public reaction is gaged across India to the miscarriage of justice, might have been more effective with tighter editing.

It is the performances of Mukherjee and Balan that make the film so watchable. Mukherjee delivers the role of Meera Gaity in a performance that may well secure a black statuette when awards season rolls around.

Balan, who often faces criticism for her attire and wardrobe choices (Heyy Baby) or a lack of dance skills (Kismat Konnection), excels in a performance-based role. Essaying the role of a real-life figure is never an easy task. Balan has gone on record to say that she did not meet with her namesake before filming, so it will be interesting to see how accurate her interpretation is. Without wanting to join the Balan fashion-bashers, from occasions that I have seen Sabrina Lall in the media, she seems to be a much more glamorous figure than is presented on celluloid.

NOKJ achieves its aim of being something other than standard Hindi film fare. After a string of over-hyped and over-budget offerings from Bombay cinema in the final quarter of 2010, No One Killed Jessica is a welcome antidote, and it will be interesting to see what awaits this powerful film at the box office.

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Tees Maar Khan released in Pakistan

Farah Khan's latest movie Tees Maar Khan was premiered at Atrium Cinema on December 25, 2010 in Pakistan.
One of the most highly anticipated movies, mainly because of the song Sheila ki jawani, it stars Akshay Kumar played the role of 'Tabrez Mirza Khan' who is a notorious criminal, with Katrina Kaif playing the lead heroine 'Anya'.
Atrium Cinema is equipped with state of the art digital and 35 mm projection, including Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound, reports the Daily Times.
It is the first ever screening of a movie at Atrium Cinema before being launched for general public on December 31, 2010.
Many celebrities attended the premiere along with LUX brand team and media officials. The film is expected to have full house screening for coming few days.

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Tees Maar Khan

Producer: Shirish Kunder, Ronnie Screwvala, Twinkle Khanna
Director: Farah Khan
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Akshaye Khanna, Katrina Kaif, Raghu Ram, Rajiv Laxman and Arya Babbar
Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Shirish Kunder
Lyrics: Shirish Kunder, Vishal Dadlani, Anvita Dutt Guptan
Film Released on: 24 December 2011

I’ve always been a fan of Manmohan Desai cinema, Farah Khan’s unapologetic masala outings and Akshay Kumar. Farah Khan’s stories have been shamelessly commercial and mass-driven the screenplays (by Khan and Abbas Tyrewala for Main Hoon Na, and Khan, Mayur Puri and Mushtaq Sheikh for Om Shanti Om) have been smartly written for universal acceptance and a hundred percent entertainment guarantee that has worked for both her films, thus ensuring a blockbuster status for them. And now, she’s back with Tees Maar Khan, a film that has been penned by her husband and editor Shirish Kunder, who has previously written and directed Jaan-E-Mann, which is yet another movie I’ve loved for its sheer honesty.

The film has a lot going for it, honestly. Sheila Ki Jawaani, Farah Khan, eye-catching promos and there you have it. It is the first film Farah Khan’s doing without Shah Rukh Khan and his production company, thereby starting her own home production with Shirish Kunder. Instead, she signs Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in lead roles, the latter's pairing with Kumar has always been a successful and compatible one on-screen.

But sometimes, when all looks good from the outside, it can deceive. Let me appropriately add here Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder have been bigger conmen than the title character they’ve created because they’ve presented to us a shiny exterior, but when we dig deeper we find nothing at all. This paragraph should be dedicated to the description of the synopsis of the story of this film, but it’s very unfortunate I find it difficult to summarize the story here because the movie has none. Even so, I’ll try.

There’s a certain guy called Tabrez Mirza Khan (played by Akshay Kumar in his most annoying avatar ever donned so far) who calls himself Tees Maar Khan and lives with his three stupid sidekicks who are even more annoying. He has a girlfriend Anya who does item numbers like Sheila Ki Jawaani for B-Grade films. His mother thinks he’s a filmmaker. He does a few heists and then starts dancing to Wallah Re Wallah and Salman Khan comes to dance too for no apparent reason. He goes to a village to do a final heist and dons the avatar of a filmmaker here when he lands in a village. He makes a film starring his girlfriend and Aatish Kapoor (Akshaye Khanna, and can someone tell him, Please stop screaming) with the heist hiding under an innocent scene shoot. In the middle there’s another song and by the end you just end up pulling your hair as a better measure to pass your time because you know you’ve paid for the tickets and you’ve got to try and milk the worth out of it.

No, the problem is not in Farah Khan’s direction. It’s the writing that’s highly faulty. Kunder fails miserably here. The dialogues are pathetic as hell, and the scenes just don’t have any logic whatsoever. People who might have liked the film – highly unlikely though – will argue that I’m trying to act intellectual, but I’ve loved films like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Sholay, Main Hoon Na, Om Shanti Om, Wanted, Dabangg and the Golmaal franchise. But this was the limit to all buffoonery the audience can resist or tolerate.

The first fifteen to twenty minutes manage to grab your attention somehow, but the rest of the film continues to degrade itself till it reaches a point of over-exaggeration no one can handle. Farah Khan has executed the screenplay barely well. The songs have been amazingly choreographed and shot but apart from Sheila ki Jawaani, which appears in those good fifteen minutes, the rest of the songs really don’t hold any interest due to the extremely annoying reels that follow. Cinematography is good, but does one pay any attention to how beautiful the frame looks when all you want to do is run out of the hall you’re trapped in?

Editing by Kunder is a joke as three-fourths of the film should have been chopped off. Music by Vishal-Shekhar is not as good as their previous outings this year and Farah Khan’s own Om Shanti Om. Shirish Kunder’s title track is fun and foot tapping but doesn’t make the movie any better. Sheila Ki Jawaani is my pick and Vishal Dadlani’s cameo as the lust-ridden director of the song is one of the couple of hilarious things in the film. Camerawork is neat.

Performances wise, Akshay Kumar does a pathetic job, though if looked at in a way, it isn’t his fault he acted so bad, because of the cheesy script. Katrina Kaif is (surprisingly) one who makes the people laugh intentionally. Her upper-lip styled “Bachao's" with random repetitions of “You dirty dog” whenever, will end up making you smile if not crack up. Her bimbo act, however unrelated to the story, ends up being a silver lining in the cloud of a script.

Akshay Khanna made me cry; not at how amazing his performance was, but at the fact that such a gifted performer chose such a hideous role like this. Raghu Ram doesn’t deserve anything to say. I saw some promise in him with his act in Jhootha Hi Sahi but I just don’t feel like commenting about them here. Sachin Khedkar is another shocking waste of a performer here. We all know what he’s capable of but here, the less said the better. Others are okay, considering the script was so bad anyway.

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Tees Maar Khan enters into Bollywood all time top openers list

B-town de-stresser of 2010 has delivered what is promised at the B.O. on its opening day. ‘Tees Maar Khan’ has registered an 18 crore gross (14 crore) net collections from India on its opening day (as per the figures by UTV). The movie starring Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif in lead has registered itself amongst the Bollywood top openers list of all times.

Co-produced by UTV Motion Pictures, Three’s Company and Hari Om Entertainment, the film which was released in over 2300 screens worldwide, has also performed well at the key overseas markets, which include US, UK and Gulf, the movie has grossed more than Rs. 5 crores even before its Friday opening, just on paid previews and pre sales of territories.

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Orange Movie Review

Movie: Orange; Cast: Ram Charan Teja, Genelia D’Souza, Shazahn Padaamsee, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandham; Director: Bommarillu Bhaskar; Rating: ***1/2 – A Superhit In The Making.
The much awaited Ram Charan Teja – Genelia D’Souza starrer ‘Orange’ has finally hit theaters today and the film already looks like a potential blockbuster. According to reports in the media, ‘Orange’ has created history with more than 5 lakh tickets reportedly sold out in advance. ‘Orange’ revolves around the character of Ram Charan Teja, a young honest guy whose actions are misunderstood, as a result of which he loses the love of the people closest to him, the guy too turning bitter at the turn of events in his life.
Ram Charan Teja plays the role of a wildlife photographer in ‘Orange’ and Genelia D’Souza is his love interest in the film. The film is set in Australia and Prakash Raj plays an officer in the Australian police force. Genelia definitely looked lovely in the mostly western that she sported and also won hearts with her crazy girl performance. However, the audience was disappointed with the second half of the story which lacked the pace of the comic first half. Ram Charan was undoubtedly superb in the action sequences of the film and the Harris Jayaraj composition was the icing on the cake.
Being one of the most awaited movies of this year, ‘Orange’ has already made a record in ticket sales. And if reactions of the viewers are anything to go by, ‘Orange’ may well turn out to be the blockbuster Telugu film of the year.

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Golmaal 3 Review

Movie Review: ‘Golmaal 3′; Star cast: Kareena Kapoor, Ajay Devgn, Mithun Chakraborty, Kunal Khemu, Tusshar Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Johny Lever, Ratna Pathak-Shah; Director: Rohit Shetty; Rating: *** – completes a rib-tickling trilogy.

It is touted as the first trilogy of Indian cinema. It’s about time that the distant cousin of Hollywood had one. Yet, what’s important is that Bollywood did not need to have trilogies as one hit film has the habit of spawning a whole generation of films that look and feel like the original. ‘Golmaal 3′ also suffers from that syndrome. Thankfully, it only feels like its previous avatars.

Despite retaining most characters from its previous outings, ‘Golmaal 3′ enters a hitherto uncharted territory. Madhav (Warsi), Laxman (Khemu) and Lucky (Kapoor) are the three scheming sons of Pritam (Mithun) who manage to lure Vasooli (Mukesh Tiwari) into one scheme after another.

However, as luck would have it, in everything they start, they find competition from three other down-on-their-luck kids Gopal (Ajay Devgn), Laxman (Shreyas Talapade) and Dabbu (Kareena Kapoor) with funding from Puppy bhai (Johnny Lever). Gopal and Laxman are the sons of Geeta (Ratna Pathak Shah).

Inevitably, locking horns they end up destroying each others businesses. What the two groups don’t know is that their parents are unrequited ex-lovers. When Dabbu finds out she schemes and unites the two lovers in a marriage without letting their children know about their step-brothers. All hell breaks loose when they finally find out and a hilarious war engulfs between the two groups right under their parents noses.

Like its predecessors ‘Golmaal 3′ has enough laughs going through the film to keep the momentum. Johnny Lever as the Ghajini-style forgetful don who adopts a new filmy avatar every few minutes has the audience in splits. The few spoofs of old Hindi films, full of camera pans and quick zooms, will nostalgically tickle the funny bone. The twists of various popular phrases and known adages, raises more than a chuckle.

Mithun gets to do his ‘Disco Dancer’ once again. Theatre veteran Ratna Pathak-Shah waltzes through the film with aplomb. Arshad Warsi is his usual tapori self while Shreyas Talapade and Kunal Khemu do a good job. It is however the beefed up Tushar Kapoor who seems to be trying too hard, and despite raising giggles, fails to arouse laughter. In the first part he, looking the most vulnerable, was the funniest of the lot.

Director Rohit Shetty tries his best in merging comic vignettes into one comprehensible film. However, had it not been for the funny dialogues, his lack of directorial verve would have shone out. He is spared the fate by some ingenious dialogue writing by Robin Bhatt (‘Aashiqui’, ‘Sadak’, ‘Baazigar’) and Yunus Sajawal.

Now that Bollywood finally has a trilogy, will it please also make one that also has some real standing in the world of cinema?

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Guzaarish Review

‘Guzaarish’; Star Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, Aditya Roy Kapoor, Monikangana Dutta, Suhel Seth; Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Rating: ***** – big, beautiful, dazzling.

Breathe a sigh of relief. During a year when cacophonic crassness masquerading as comic entertainment has been sanctioned by critics and the masses, ‘Guzaarish’ comes along to remind us that excellence is alive in our cinema.

Ironically this wonderful work of art, nuanced and magical in its portrayal of an unstoppable spirit’s quest to juice life to its fullest, is about dying. If the journey towards death in art can be so mystically explored, then let’s embrace mortality as a stepping stone to immortality and a film about dying as a sign of cinema not dying on us. Not yet.

Only those who suffer the numbing pain of isolation would know what it feels like. Dilip Kumar in ‘Devdas’, Guru Dutt in ‘Pyasa’, Meena Kumari in ‘Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam’ and Nutan in ‘Bandini’ communicated to the audience the indescribable pain of solitude.

Ethan, as played by Hrithik Roshan in ‘Guzaarish’, is so bemused by adversity that he can actually look at his own suffering with dispassionate humour.

‘Guzaarish’ is a joyous, rapturous and ecstatic celebration of life. Those familiar with the art of Sanjay Leela Bhansali know how ably and ecstatically he transports his characters into a universe of seamless drama played at an octave where most cinematic symphonies crack up and topple over into high-pitched extravagance.

Not Bhansali’s cinema. Played at the highest possible scale, his drama unfolds in wave after wave of rapturous splendour. His characters occupy a space that defies definition and seduces audiences into celebrating a state of sublimity and splendour. Ethan’s inert physicality is alchemized into an ambience of animated joy. His spirit dances and sings at the sheer pleasure of every moment that is given to him to live. He radiates joy. We feel his profound happiness at the gift of life.

No film in living memory has brought out the sheer blessing of being alive with such spirit and glory. While Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Devdas’ in Bhansali’s opulent opera was a character broken in spirit, Hrithik’s Ethan in ‘Guzaarish’ is irreparably damaged in body. But his spirit soars, his eyes light up like thousands of stars every time Sophie walks in.

That Sophie is played by Aishwarya Rai is a stroke of genius that goes a long way in giving ‘Guzaarish’ its flavour of exceptional elegance. No other director brings out the quiet grace and the understated beauty of this screen diva’s personality with as much intelligence and spontaneity as Bhansali. In ‘Guzaarish’, Aishwarya is far more delicate and nuanced in conveying the unspoken pain of a love that has no tomorrow than she was in ‘Devdas’.

Aishwarya imbues her role with a resplendent grace. Love in ‘Guzaarish’ is expressed with subtle smirks, gentle smiles and hints of a smothered passion that could erupt any time, if only destiny didn’t choose to be so mean to the spirited.

The scenes between Ethan and Sophie, the backbone of Ethan’s spine-challenged life, radiate an inner beauty and wisdom and underline the director’s enormous understanding of the self-negation that a love relationship requires.

‘Guzaarish’ is Bhansali’s most tender and evocative film to date. It layers the pain of a dying body with the passion of an unstoppable spirit as manifested in Hrithik’s skilled and effortless performance as a quadriplegic who pledges to make every moment of his limited ’sau gram zindagi’ pleasurable for himself an those around him.

Barring Amitabh Bachchan in ‘Black’ there has never been a better performance in a Bhansali film than Hrithik’s in ‘Guzaarish’. He grabs Ethan’s role and makes the dying character come alive in delightful waves of provocative histrionics. And if we’re talking chemistry between Hrithik and Aishwarya, then let’s get one thing clear – this ain’t ‘Dhoom’. It’s something far deeper and satisfying.

The other performance that catches your attention is Aditya Roy Kapoor’s. He is natural and vivacious and in-sync with the film’s spirit of celebrating life. Monikangna Dutt is a looker. In her limited space, she lends some appeal to the proceedings. Suhel Seth, Shernaaz Patel and Rajit Kapur also make a lingering impact in a film that you carry home with you in an inviolable place in your heart.

A word about Bhansali’s music score. The songs communicate the rich tapestried emotions of lives that are determined to smile through an extraordinary tragedy. Every piece of music and song in ‘Guzaarish’ echoes the film’s incandescent soul.

The film’s technical excellence, particularly Sudeep Chatterjee’s cinematography, is not dazzling and flamboyant in the way it was in ‘Devdas’. In ‘Guzaarish’, the appeal is far more delicate and subtle. The deep but sober colours on screen reach out to you to enrich your life in ways that cinema was always meant to, until it was waylaid by the hooligans and imposters posing as filmmakers.

‘Guzaarish’ is the real thing. A big, beautiful, dazzling emotional movie experience. You won’t see a better film this year.

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Orange Movie Review

Movie: Orange; Cast: Ram Charan Teja, Genelia D’Souza, Shazahn Padaamsee, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandham; Director: Bommarillu Bhaskar; Rating: ***1/2 – A Superhit In The Making. The much awaited Ram Charan Teja – Genelia D’Souza starrer ‘Orange’ has finally hit theaters today and the film already looks like a potential blockbuster. According to reports in the media, ‘Orange’ has created history with more than 5 lakh tickets reportedly sold out in advance. ‘Orange’ revolves around the character of Ram Charan Teja, a young honest guy whose actions are misunderstood, as a result of which he loses the love of the people closest to him, the guy too turning bitter at the turn of events in his life.

Ram Charan Teja plays the role of a wildlife photographer in ‘Orange’ and Genelia D’Souza is his love interest in the film. The film is set in Australia and Prakash Raj plays an officer in the Australian police force. Genelia definitely looked lovely in the mostly western that she sported and also won hearts with her crazy girl performance. However, the audience was disappointed with the second half of the story which lacked the pace of the comic first half. Ram Charan was undoubtedly superb in the action sequences of the film and the Harris Jayaraj composition was the icing on the cake.

Being one of the most awaited movies of this year, ‘Orange’ has already made a record in ticket sales. And if reactions of the viewers are anything to go by, ‘Orange’ may well turn out to be the blockbuster Telugu film of the year.

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